Wobbegong

Feeding Behavior

Spotted wobbegong sharks, at night they feed on octopuses, crabs, lobsters, sea bass, and luderick. They often lie still on the bottom while waiting for prey to swim close to their mouths. Spotted wobbegong sharks have also been observed sneaking up on prey from a distance.

Life History

During breeding season, males are attracted to females when they release pheromones into the water, which means that femals are encountered by the male. Spotted wobbegong sharks, have large litters, in one case up to 37 pups were born from one female. The average size of the spotted wobbegong at birth is 21 cm.

Wbbegongs reach a maximum length of 3.2m with the average size of adult males between 1.5-1.8 m. These amazing sharks are yellow-green or brown in color with O-shaped markings. Their body and heads are flattened in shape, and their jaws protrude forward when capturing prey.

Other species of wobbegongs are similar in appearance, however, the patterns of spotted wobbegongs are specific to this species and aid in their vivid camouflage among the reefs in the eastern Indian Ocean, off eastern Queensland and southern Australia, and possibly off southern Japan and in the South China Sea.