Tasselled Wobbegong | Oceana
Home / Tasselled Wobbegong

Marine Life Encyclopedia

Sharks & Rays

Tasselled Wobbegong

Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

Distribution

Tropical southwest Pacific Ocean

ECOSYSTEM/HABITAT

Coral reefs

FEEDING HABITS

Sit and wait predator

TAXONOMY

Order Orectolobiformes (carpet sharks), Family Orectolobidae (wobbegongs)

The tasselled wobbegong is a flat, well-camouflaged shark that sits motionless on the seafloor, waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim a bit too close. It is a member of the carpet shark family, named for their seafloor-dwelling behavior. With its blotchy coloration and the highly branched skin flaps that disguise its mouth and head, the tasselled wobbegong perfectly blends in to its surroundings on coral reefs along the northern shore of Australia and throughout the islands of New Guinea and Indonesia.

Using its powerful jaws and needle-like teeth, the tasselled wobbegong eats all sorts of reef fishes and occasionally other sharks. Recently, the tasselled wobbegong gained some international fame, when a scientist photographed an individual eating a Brown-banded Bamboo Shark that was a full 80% of its size. After 30 minutes of observation by that scientist, the tasselled wobbegong had still not ingested the brown-banded bamboo shark past the head.

The tasselled wobbegong is not a particularly large shark and reaches maximum lengths of approximately four feet (1.25 m). This species is not fished throughout most of its range, but local populations may be reduced from targeted and accidental fishing. Reef scientists consider habitat loss to be more of a concern to this species than fishing, but current populations are thought to generally be stable.

Resources:

IUCN Red List

Journal of the International Society for Reef Studies

Get Involved

Donate Today

SUPPORT OUR WORK TO PROTECT THE OCEANS BY GIVING TODAY

With the support of more than 1 million activists like you, we have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean.

Donate Now

TAKE ACTION NOW

Support policy change for the oceans

Decision-makers need to hear from ocean lovers like you. Make your voice heard!

Sign Now

VISIT OUR ADOPTION CENTER

SYMBOLICALLY ADOPT AN ANIMAL TODAY

Visit our online store to see all the ocean animals you can symbolically adopt, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else.

Shop Today

DOWNLOAD OCEAN ACTIVITIES

HELP KIDS DISCOVER OUR BLUE PLANET

Our free KELP (Kids Environmental Lesson Plans) empower children to learn about and protect our oceans!

Learn More

FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Save the Oceans, Feed the World

We are restoring the world’s wild fish populations to serve as a sustainable source of protein for people.

Learn More

More CAMPAIGNs

Protect Habitat

Bycatch

Plastics

View All

CONTACT

Oceana International Headquarters
1025 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036 USA

General Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
info@oceana.org

Donation Inquiries
+1(202)-996-7174
wavemaker@oceana.org

Press Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
press@oceana.org

OCEANA'S EFFICIENCY

BECOME A WAVEMAKER

Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT WITH A DONATION

We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.

Donate Now

QUICK LINKS: