Animal Species:Spotted Wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788)
The Spotted Wobbegong has a pattern of dark saddles, white o-shaped spots and white blotches. The species is widely distributed in subtropical and temperate Australian waters.
Alternative Name/s
Carpet Shark, Common Carpet Shark, Common Catshark, Tassel Shark, Wobbegong
Identification
The Spotted Wobbegong can be recognised by the skin flaps around the snout margin and the distinctive colour pattern of dark saddles and white rings on a yellow to greenish-brown background.
The genus name Orectolobus comes from the Greek words orectos, meaning stretched out, and lobos meaning a rounded projection or protuberance. The genus name most likely refers to the barbels on the head. The species name maculatus comes from the Latin word macula which means spot, and refers to the shark's spotted colouration. 'Wobbegong' is an Australian aboriginal word.
Size range
It is about 20 cm in length when born and reaches a maximum size of about 3 m.
Distribution
The species occurs along the southern coastline of Australia from southern Queensland to south-western Western Australia. It is possibly endemic to Australia. Records from Japan and the South China Sea are probably errors.
The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.
Distribution by collection data
Ozcam map of Spotted Wobbegong specimens in the Australian Museums.
Habitat
Spotted Wobbegongs live in shallow coastal waters down to about 100 m depth. They often lie on sand or rocky reef bottoms and are frequently seen by divers.
Feeding and Diet
Feeding occurs mainly at night and includes prey items such as fishes, crayfish, crabs and octopuses.
Classification
- Species:
- maculatus
- Genus:
- Orectolobus
- Family:
- Orectolobidae
- Order:
- Orectolobiformes
- Class:
- Chondrichthyes
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Brown, R.W. 1956. Composition of Scientific Words. R. W. Brown. Pp. 882.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513, Pl. 1-84.
- Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F., J.C.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Whitley, G.P. 1940. The fishes of Australia. Part I. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Royal Zoological Society N.S.W., Australian Zoological Handbook 1-280.
Mark McGrouther
, Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:
Tags fishes, ichthyology, Spotted Wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus, Orectolobidae, Carpet Shark, Common Carpet Shark, Common Catshark, Tassel Shark, Wobbegong, temperate waters, subtropical waters, dark saddles, white rings, skin flaps, yellow, greenish-brown, barbels on head, spotted, dots/spots, adult, marine, > 2m, yellow-greenish,
5 comments
Hi Damian,
They certainly are one of my favourite fish. There are three species of wobbies (two of them have been reported to reach 3 m) that can be found in coastal waters around Sydney and the best way to ID them is by the colour patterns. Gulf Wobbegong, Orectolobus halei, are strongly ornamented with the margins of the saddles on the back having black borders. The Spotted Wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus, is pale yellowish or greenish brown with the darker saddles having numerous white edged rings and blotches. Ornate Wobbegong, Orectolobus ornatus, is generally the smallest and grows to just over a metre, as the name suggests its highly ornamented, strongly speckled or freckled as I like to think of it.
If you do love sharks the reference we always use is Last & Stevens, 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia 2nd Edition, its a fabulous book.
Happy snorkeling and please feel free to send us any pictures you may have for confirmation.
Hi Will, You can send photos to me, but please don't send too many ... I have plenty of other things to do :). You can email me at mark.mcgrouther@austmus.gov.au. You are right in your observation that there are many species for which we don't have photos on the website. I am still transferring content from the old site (which had a more comprehensive coverage of the fauna) to the new. Cheers, Mark