Tasselled Wobbegong

About the Tasselled Wobbegong

The Tasselled wobbegong shark is reef-associated carpet shark native to the Indo-West Pacific. It’s found in areas like eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia, and commonly encountered on the Great Barrier Reef.

Biology:

The Tasselled wobbegong shark is a medium sized shark that has a body with a reticular pattern of narrow dark lines. Their maximum reported length is 125 cm.  They have a distinctive series of branching skin flaps from its head to its chin. Their tail resembles a small fish, and they wave it to attract prey.

Reproduction:

The Tasselled wobbegong shark matures at about 115 cm in length. This species of shark gives birth to live pups, about 20 cm long.

Behaviour:

The Tasselled wobbegong shark feeds on bottom fishes and invertebrates, also known to eat nocturnal teleost fishes such as squirrelfish and soldierfish and sweepers. This species is commonly seen on coral heads and in reef channels and faces, in shallow areas of the continental shelf and offshore reefs, to about 50 m depth. Primarily nocturnal, individuals are thought to have a small home range, not traveling far.

Conservation:

This species is not targeted and is rarely caught as bycatch. Populations are stable and they’re currently considered least concern.

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Tasselled Wobbegong Gallery