Cobbler Wobbegong
Sutorectus tentaculatus
Gulf Wobbegong
Orectolobus halei
About
The gulf wobbegong is a broad, flat-bodied shark that spends its days lying still on the sea floor, so well camouflaged that divers often swim right past it. It grows up to 256cm long.
Also known as: banded wobbegong, banded carpet shark, carpetshark, wobbegong
- Length
- 2.6 m
- Depth
- up to 195 m
Habitat
This shark lives only in Australian waters, along the southern coast and its offshore reefs, from the surface down to about 195m. It rests in caves, under ledges, and on large sponges, and shelters among macroalgae-covered reefs and reef channels.
Behaviour
The gulf wobbegong is a nocturnal ambush predator, lying motionless by day and hunting small fish and sharks at night. Tracking studies have found individual sharks returning to the exact same spot on a reef again and again, sometimes for years at a time. Females give birth to live pups after carrying them for a long pregnancy.
Did you know?
This shark's diet has been found to include other wobbegongs, including the ornate wobbegong, a related species it shares reefs with.
Log it in Into the Blue
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