Cobbler Wobbegong
Sutorectus tentaculatus
Ornate wobbegong
Orectolobus ornatus
About
The ornate wobbegong is a flat, carpet-like shark so well camouflaged against the sea floor that divers can swim right past it, and sometimes right into it, without noticing. It grows up to 290 cm long.
- Length
- 2.9 m
- Depth
- up to 100 m
How to tell it apart
It looks much like the spotted and gulf wobbegongs, but unlike the spotted wobbegong it lacks distinct O-shaped rings; instead its blotches have plain black edges.
Appearance
This shark has a broad, flattened head with small eyes and fringes of skin around its mouth and lower head. Its upper side is golden brown with blueish-grey patches and dark, light-centred blotches, fading to yellow-green underneath. The pattern breaks up its outline against the sea floor, though it fades somewhat as the shark ages.
Habitat
Ornate wobbegongs rest by day on sand or weed bottoms, in caves, or under ledges, and become active hunters after dark. They live over algae-covered sea floors, coral reefs, and in bays, usually in clearer water than the similar spotted wobbegong, down to about 100 m.
Did you know?
A wobbegong pup just one day old has already been seen with a full set of teeth and able to defend itself.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
