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contents move to sidebar hide top 1 taxonomy 2 description 3 ecology 4 distribution 5 relationship with humans toggle relationship with humans subsection 5 1 bite 6 predation 7 conservation status 8 see also 9 notes 10 references 11 external links toggle the table of contents spotted wobbegong 18 languages български cebuano deutsch español euskara suomi français עברית magyar bahasa indonesia italiano latina nederlands português русский українська tiếng việt 中文 edit links article talk english read edit view history tools tools move to sidebar hide actions read edit view history general what links here related changes upload file permanent link page information cite this page get shortened url switch to legacy parser print export download as pdf printable version in other projects wikimedia commons wikispecies wikidata item appearance move to sidebar hide from wikipedia the free encyclopedia species of shark spotted wobbegong at cod grounds marine park australia conservation status least concern iucn 3 1 1 scientific classification kingdom animalia phylum chordata class chondrichthyes subclass elasmobranchii division selachii order orectolobiformes family orectolobidae genus orectolobus species o maculatus binomial name orectolobus maculatus bonnaterre 1788 range of spotted wobbegong in blue synonyms squalus maculatus bonnaterre 1778 squalus barbatus gmelin 1789 squalus lobatus bloch schneider 1801 squalus appendiculatus shaw nodder 1806 squalus labiatus bleeker 1857 the spotted wobbegong orectolobus maculatus is a carpet shark in the family orectolobidae endemic to australia it is a large robust species typically reaching 150 180 centimetres 59 71 in in length coloured green yellow or brown it has distinctive o shaped spots throughout its body it is nocturnal resting at day and feeding on fish and invertebrates at night an ovoviviparous species the spotted wobbegong gives birth in the spring during which time males can act aggressively towards other males and females it has been known to bite humans sometimes unprovoked which can produce severe wounds the species is fished commercially in australia but it is not severely threatened it is listed as a least concern species on the iucn red list taxonomy edit the species was described by pierre joseph bonnaterre in 1778 2 he classified it in the genus squalus with the full scientific name of squalus maculatus bonnaterre redescribed the species in 1788 in orectolobus its current genus making its full scientific name orectolobus maculatus with squalus maculatus now a synonym of it 3 4 other synonyms of the species include squalus barbatus gmelin 1789 squalus lobatus bloch schneider 1801 squalus appendiculatus shaw nodder 1806 and squalus labiatus bleeker 1857 the spotted wobbegong s genus name is based on the greek words orektos and lobos and translates roughly to stretched out lobe 3 its specific name maculatus means spotted in latin named as such for the spotted pattern of its body alternate common names in english for the species include carpet shark common carpet shark common catshark tassel shark and wobbegong 4 the spotted wobbegong has previously been synonymised with orectolobus parvimaculatus the dwarf spotted wobbegong in western australia however the spotted wobbegong has smaller and less dense dorsal fins which lack the black markings that the dwarf spotted wobbegong s dorsal fins have differentiating the two fishes therefore the two wobbegongs are classified as two separate species the spotted wobbegong has been confused with the gulf wobbegong orectolobus hatei in new south wales but the white marks of the spotted wobbegong as well as its greater number of dermal lobes distinguish the two species 1 it is also frequently confused with the ornate wobbegong orectolobus ornatus 5 the following diagram shows the relationship between the spotted wobbegong and five other selected species in the genus orectolobus 6 genus orectolobus o floridus o halei o hutchinsi o parvimaculatus o maculatus o ornatus description edit a view of the mouth and eyes including the tentacles around its mouth the spotted wobbegong has a large robust body which thins beyond its pelvic fins 7 it grows in the range of 150 180 centimetres 59 71 in but can reach 320 centimetres 130 in it is green yellow or brown in colour 4 with a darker back and darker saddles it is covered with o shaped spots which distinguish it from other species that look similar to it it has six to ten dermal lobes behind and in front of its eye 7 and a tubercle above its eye 4 its body lacks ridges or caudal keels 3 other characteristics of the species include dermal flaps surrounding the rim of its mouth 8 large barbels extending from its nostrils 7 and large spiracles 3 like other sharks the spotted wobbegong has abundant pores that operate as electroreceptors in its skin they are used to detect the electric fields of nearby animals making it easier to find prey marine freshwater research a peer reviewed scientific journal studied and compared the electroreceptors of the spotted wobbegong to those of the australian angelshark squatina australis a distantly related shark species the spotted wobbegong has a more complex electrosensory system than the australian angelshark and the spotted wobbegong has a pore cluster inside its snout that is not present in the australian angelshark for both species these electroreceptors are an important mechanism in feeding 9 ecology edit a nocturnal species the spotted wobbegong feeds at night and rests in sandy bottoms coral reefs and coastal bays in the day 4 adults most commonly occur on algae covered rocky reefs and meadows of sea grass or sand while juveniles are mostly found in estuaries 5 because of the species colour pattern it camouflages well on rocky bottoms although it has not been confirmed the species may always return to a single site repeatedly throughout its life its diet consists of fishes including luderick scorpionfishes sea basses other smaller shark species including individuals of their own species 10 and rays and various invertebrates such as crabs lobsters and octopuses like all wobbegongs it has a short mouth and broad pharynx which allow it to suck up prey more easily the species prey have been known to wander right up to it including near its mouth sometimes nibbling its tentacles 11 the spotted wobbegong gathers in groups the selection of specimens in a group was previously thought to be at random or due to food advantages but a study led by macquarie university concluded that spotted wobbegongs associate with preferred partners for social purposes and some specimens do not associate at all 12 the study occurred in a small marine reserve over a 15 month period out of the 15 tagged and observed specimens 14 associated with more than one individual and sex size or familiarity did not affect the association of groups 13 rob harcourt a researcher stated what we found was that sharks were interacting in a much more complex way than we predicted 12 females give birth in the spring after a gestation period of almost a year 4 the species exhibits ovoviviparity with embryos developing inside their mother s body until ready to hatch litters typically contain between 20 37 individuals 5 male wobbegongs in sydney likely including this species fight with other males in the breeding season males have also been observed to bite females during courtship young are 21 centimetres 8 3 in long directly after hatching and males become sexually mature when they reach roughly 60 centimetres 24 in 11 distribution edit the spotted wobbegong is endemic to australia usually living in tropical waters no deeper than 218 metres 715 ft 1 38 specimens caught from 1882 to 1995 were found in waters 20 176 metres 66 577 ft deep 5 sightings have been reported in queensland victoria south australia and western australia in the western pacific ocean and eastern indian ocean records are also known of the species living in tasmania and the northern territory but these are likely to be invalid some records have misidentified other fish species living in japan and the south china sea as this species 1 4 the species primary threat in eastern australia is fishing for commercial purposes its flesh is edible and has thus caused it to be a target of fishing in queensland it is sometimes caught as a bycatch but is not fished for intentionally its skin has been utilised for decorating historically but whether it is utilised in such a way currently is unknown multiple conservation actions have taken place for this species particularly since 2006 it is unknown if its population is decreasing or increasing but it is not severely fragmented as of 2015 it is listed as a species of least concern on the red list of the international union for conservation of nature as of 23 march 2015 after having been assessed as near threatened in 2003 and 2009 1 relationship with humans edit bite edit although the spotted wobbegong is generally docile with humans it is sometimes aggressive with them its defence mechanism is a bite which can cause severe wounds due to the species tendency to hold its bite for a long time 3 reports are known of it attacking people if they step on it or put a limb near its mouth 3 divers sometimes pull it by the tail during its daytime resting period which often provokes it enough to bite 14 the species can attack if caught with a fishing line or net or if speared in one circumstance a spotted wobbegong specimen bit off a fisherman s foot 11 it may also attack a human holding a speared or hooked fish as well as the fish itself 14 in 1789 arthur phillip the first governor of new south wales wrote about the spotted wobbegong which he called watts s shark in his book voyage to botany bay he said that it ferociously attacked the dog of mr watts 2 after having lain on the deck for two hours seemingly quiet on mr watts s dog passing by the shark sprang on it with all the ferocity imaginable and seized it by the leg nor could the dog have disengaged himself had not the people near at hand come to his assistance there have been reports of unprovoked attacks on humans including divers well above the bottom 15 while compagno noted of such reports that it is often difficult to determine which species was involved or what the precise circumstances were that led to the incident 11 the international shark attack file lists 4 unprovoked attacks a known to be by the spotted wobbegong none of which were fatal 17 in total the australian shark attack file has recorded 51 instances where the unprovoked attack b on a human was confirmed to be by any species of wobbegong shark in the years 1900 to 2009 none of which were fatal 18 reports of wobbegongs biting boats are known in literature but it has not been confirmed that these attacks were by the spotted wobbegong in particular 11 predation edit potential predators of spotted wobbegongs include any large fish or marine mammal 19 conservation status edit the spotted wobbegong was nominated for listing under the epbc act as a vulnerable species in 2013 but the nomination was rejected 20 threats to wobbegong include trawl fishing beach seines gillnets lobster pots and traps targeting by hook and line and spearfishing 21 circa 2013 the iucn red list described the species as vulnerable in the waters of new south wales and near threatened in australian waters spotted wobbegongs are bycatch species in various fisheries and are allowed to be fished by recreational fishers in some australian states 20 as per the table below fishing restrictions on spotted wobbegongs by region state recreational bag possession limit note references new south wales 0 commercial fishers are limited to 6 per day and minimum length of 130 cm 20 victoria 1 limit is one shark per person of any species no commercial targeting occurs here 20 south australia no limit listed as in peril by conservation sa 21 20 western australia 2 limit is two sharks per person of any combination of species 20 queensland 1 limit is one shark per person of any species with a maximum length of 1 5 m 20 see also edit sharks portal list of sharks notes edit the international shark attack file defines a provoked attack as one when a human initiates interaction with a shark in some way these include instances when divers are bitten after harassing or trying to touch sharks attacks on spearfishers attacks on people attempting to feed sharks bites occurring while unhooking or removing a shark from a fishing net etc 16 the australian shark attack file defines a provoked attack as one where the person involved was fishing for spearing stabbing feeding netting or handling a shark or where the shark was attracted to the victim by activities such as fishing spear fishing and cleaning of captured fish 18 references edit 1 2 3 4 5 huveneers c pollard d a gordon i flaherty a a pogonoski j 2015 orectolobus maculatus iucn red list of threatened species 2015 e t41837a68638559 doi 10 2305 iucn uk 2015 4 rlts t41837a68638559 en retrieved 19 november 2021 1 2 saunders brian grieg 2012 discovery of australia s fishes a history of australian ichthyology to 1930 csiro publishing pp 7 21 isbn 978 0 643 10670 3 retrieved 1 february 2019 1 2 3 4 5 6 eagle dane orectolobus maculatus florida museum of natural history archived from the original on 29 january 2019 retrieved 28 january 2019 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 bray d j orectolobus maculatus fishes of australia archived from the original on 29 january 2019 retrieved 28 january 2019 1 2 3 4 pogonoski j j pollard d a paxton j r february 2002 conservation overview and action plan for australian threatened and potentially threatened marine and estuarine fishes pdf department of the environment and energy australian government canberra australia pp 29 30 archived pdf from the original on 1 march 2014 retrieved 31 january 2019 carrier jeffrey c musick john a heithaus michael r 9 april 2012 biology of sharks and their relatives 2 illustrated ed crc press p 41 isbn 978 1 4398 3926 3 retrieved 1 february 2019 1 2 3 ebert david a 2015 a pocket guide to sharks of the world illustrated reprint ed princeton university press p 120 isbn 978 0 691 16599 8 retrieved 29 january 2019 andrew neil 1999 under southern seas the ecology of australia s rocky reefs illustrated ed unsw press p 153 isbn 0 86840 657 0 retrieved 29 january 2019 egeberg channing a kempster ryan m theiss susan m hart nathan s collin shaun p 2014 the distribution and abundance of electrosensory pores in two benthic sharks a comparison of the wobbegong shark orectolobus maculatus and the angel shark squatina australis marine and freshwater research 65 11 1003 1008 doi 10 1071 mf13213 issn 1323 1650 szcodronski todd adw orectolobus maculatus information animaldiversity org retrieved 23 august 2022 1 2 3 4 5 compagno leonard j v 2001 sharks of the world bullhead mackerel and carpet sharks heterodontiformes lamniformes and orectolobiformes illustrated revi...