Wobbegong: 8 Fascinating Carpet Shark Species

Scientific Name: Hemiscylliidae

The common name of this species is called longtail carpet sharks, and they inhabit shallow waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific. Bamboo sharks are small, and the biggest species is 1.21 meters maximum. A bamboo shark has an elongated and cylindrical body with an unusually long tail. It has short barbels under its mouth, making it look like a wise old shark swimming sluggishly in the marine waters. These bottom-dwelling fish feed on invertebrates and smaller fish that they can find.

When it comes to this one, bamboo sharks have a whole family of their own, with 2 genera: Chiloscyllium genus and Hemiscyllium genus. The former has a relatively long snout with subterminal nostrils, and its mouth is closer to its eyes. Those include Arabian Carpetshark, Brown-Banded Bamboo Shark Burmese Bamboo Shark, Gray Bamboo Shark, Hasselt’s Bamboo Shark, Slender Bamboo Shark, and White-Spotted Bamboo Shark. The latter has a range across Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, and there are 9 species in this genus. It has short snouts with nostrils placed almost at the tip with well-elevated eyes and supraorbital ridges. The members are Cenderwasih Epaulette Shark, Epaulette Shark, Halmahera Epaulette Shark, Henry’s Epaulette Shark, Hooded Carpetshark, Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark, Papuan Epaulette Shark, Milne Bay Epaulette Shark, Seychelles Carpetshark, and Speckled Carpetshark.

Scientific Name: Brachaelurus Waddi

A blind shark is pretty small, reaching a length of only around 62 to 66 centimeters. It has a stocky body that is grayish to brownish in color with white flecks and darker bands. These bands fade as the shark gets older, leaving only the white flecks in the end. The head of this shark is wide, flattened, and blunt, and there is a pair of long barbels underneath. Its small oval eyes are on the top, and the name is misleading because this shark is not blind at all. The name comes from its habit of closing its eyes when caught by fishers. When removed from water, it retracts its eyeballs and lowers its thick eyelids.

Blind sharks live along the coast of Australia, inhabiting rocky areas and seagrass beds where they roam in tidal pools. Just like other carpet sharks out there, this one also primarily feeds on bony fishes and invertebrates; usually at night. Some of their common meals are cephalopods, crabs, sea anemones, and shrimps. Despite being sharks, they are harmless to humans as they don’t attack or have any interest in eating us. However, they will bite if provoked and they won’t let go easily due to the strong jaws and powerful suction.

Scientific Name: Brachaelurus Colcloughi

The bluegrey shark aka Colclough’s shark is an uncommon carpet shark species, and there is not much information about them. From the research, a bluegrey shark has a stocky body with a wide head that is slightly flattened. Its overall length is around 76 centimeters, and it has a black-and-white color pattern that turns brownish as it gets older. The eyes of the sharks are on the dorsal side, and it has a pair of long barbels with posterior skin flaps. Very similar to its brother, the blind shark, it also closes its eyes when removed from the water.

This carpet shark species is endemic to the shallow inshore waters of northeastern Australia. They shelter on rocky reefs where they feed on benthic invertebrates and bony fishes during the day. When the night comes, they forage around the reef like seagrass beds instead. Bluegrey carpet sharks are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to their rarity along with commercial and recreational fisheries.

Scientific Name: Parascyllium Collare

A collared carpet shark has a maximum length of only around 85 centimeters, making them pretty small. The body of this shark is slender with a narrow head, and it has a prominent dark-brown collar around its gills. These brown collars make it look like the shark is wearing a collar; hence the name. It has dark spots along its body and fins that help it camouflage from other sea creatures, especially prey. The coolest part is that this shark can change its color to match the sea floor as well. These small sharks are endemic to the eastern coast of Australia where they feed on bottom-dwelling crustaceans and mollusks. They inhabit muddy, rocky, or sandy ocean floors where they spend most of their time hiding in corals or rocks. Not different from other carpet shark species out there, this one is also harmless to humans.

Scientific Name: Ginglymostoma Cirratum

A nurse shark can reach a maximum length of 3 meters long but larger individuals do exist. It has a broad head with a pair of long barbel, and a brownish body that is smooth to the touch. The shark has a pair of two conspicuous barbels between the nostrils that it uses to find food. More than that, it has distinctive tail fins that take up to one-fourth of its total length. One of the most interesting things about this carpet shark species is that they are docile and robust. They can tolerate capture, handling, and tagging extremely well which is very important for shark research. This carpet shark species is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The distribution of nurse sharks is patchy, mostly along tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Eastern Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Western Atlantic. As inshore bottom-dwelling carpet shark species, they have a wide range of habitats. Juveniles hang out at the bottom of shallow coral reefs, seagrass flats, and around mangrove islands. As for adults, they live around and in deeper reefs and rocky areas where they tend to seek shelter during the day. When the night comes, they leave their shelters to feed on the seabed in shallower areas. Nurse sharks have strong jaws filled with thousands of tiny serrated teeth that allow them to crush and eat shellfish. And speaking of food, their diet mainly consists of crustaceans, fish, mollusks, and stingrays.

Scientific Name: Orectolobidae

Wobbegong is the common name of the carpet shark species in the family Orectolobidae, and there are 12 species in total. The name wobbegong probably came from the Australian Aboriginal language, which means “shaggy beard” due to the shark’s barbels. A wobbegong reaches a maximum length of 1.25 meters but there are larger specimens too. This carpet shark species has a broad and flat head with upward-facing eyes along with fringed skin flaps. It has a symmetrical pattern of bold markings that resembles a carpet that allows perfect camouflage. The name carpet shark does not only come from the blotted appearance but also its flat body. These sharks look like carpets on the ocean floor, making them almost invisible when they lie on the seabed.

This carpet shark species lives in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean. These bottom-dwelling sharks spend most of their time resting on the sea floor. One of their special abilities is the fact that they can dislocate their jaws for large meals. More than that, they also have powerful jaws and sharp teeth as well as fast biting speed. Any prey that is unfortunate enough to swim past this predator barely escapes its fate to become dinner. Despite the sharp teeth, wobbegong does not even need to bite since it swallows its prey whole. Wobbegong has poor eyesight and sensitive lobes, and sometimes they bite their own tail thinking it is a small fish.

Scientific Name: Rhincodon Typus

Do you know that whale sharks are actually a carpet shark species? Whale sharks are the largest carpet shark species, and of course, the largest sharks in the world. The largest one ever measured was 14 meters long, and it is very easy to recognize one. A whale shark has a broad flattened head with a very large mouth of around 1.55 meters across. But no, it cannot swallow a human and it does not want to. Whale sharks are so big their skin can be up to 15 centimeters thick, and is very hard to the touch. On top of the large size, they have a distinctive coloration with patterns of light spots and stripes on a blue to gray background. The spots can be gray, yellow, or white and they are just like human fingerprints, no two whale sharks have the same spot patterns.

As filter feeders, these sharks feed almost exclusively on plankton and small fishes. Along with that, they also feed on clouds of eggs during mass spawning of fish and corals as well. These filter feeders do not pump water while feeding, instead, they swim to force water across their gills. Whale sharks inhabit all tropical and warm-temperate seas, living in both coastal and oceanic habitats. To sustain their huge size, they have to travel long distances to find food. They are very docile, and younger whale sharks are gentle and they play with divers too. It is not advisable to try to ride or touch whale sharks despite their harmless nature because that can cause harm to the animals. Their population is considered Endangered by the IUCN Red List due to by-catch losses, the impact of fisheries, and vessel strikes.

Scientific Name: Stegostoma Tigrinum

A zebra shark has a cylindrical body with a large and slightly flattened head, and a short blunt snout. It has small eyes on the sides of its head, and there are spiracles behind those eyes. Adult zebra sharks can reach a length of 2.5 meters, with a distinctive appearance of 5 ridges on its body. Along with that, there is also a pattern of dark spots on the pale background of its body as well. As for the young ones, they are around 50 to 90 centimeters long, with light vertical stripes on a brown background instead. Juvenile zebra sharks don’t have ridges like the adult ones at all. These sharks use their whisker-like barbels to detect prey in the dark, and they have strong teeth that can crunch through tough shells.

Zebra sharks have a wide distribution throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific where they hang out around coral reefs and sandy flats. As nocturnal animals, they spend most of the day resting motionless on the sea floor. When the night emerges, they actively hunt for crustaceans, mollusks, small bony fishes, and sometimes sea snakes. These sharks are usually solitary, but aggregations of 20 to 50 individuals are not uncommon. Zebra sharks are docile and slow-moving, and they are not dangerous to humans at all. In fact, approaching them underwater is also okay as long as you don’t touch them. They will bite whoever pulls on their tails or attempts to ride them, please don’t do that. This carpet shark species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to destructive fishing practices and habitat degradation.

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