Fish
Tasselled Wobbegong
Eucrossorhinus dasypogon · also called tasselled wobbegong, carpet shark, bearded wobbegong
The tasselled wobbegong is a shark that has given up swimming for lying still. Flattened, carpet-patterned, and fringed all around the face with branching skin flaps, it presses itself against the coral and disappears — then engulfs whatever swims over its head, sometimes after tempting it in with a wave of its own fish-shaped tail.
Overview
Tasselled wobbegongs live on shallow coral reefs of northern Australia, New Guinea, and eastern Indonesia, resting in caves, under ledges, and in coral channels by day and feeding by ambush. They are broad and flat, up to about 1.8 metres, with an intricate carpet-like pattern and a distinctive border of branched skin lobes — the “tassels” — around the snout and chin.
Invisible on the reef
The pattern and the tassels break up the shark’s outline so thoroughly that small fish and shrimp will rest directly on top of it. It can also slowly adjust its colour to the background. It is one of the reef’s most complete camouflages.
The strike, and the lure
When prey passes over its wide mouth, the wobbegong strikes from a standstill with an explosive suck-and-bite, gripping with rows of long, backward-hooked teeth. It has also been seen curling its tail up near its head and waving the fish-marked tail tip to draw predatory fish into range — caudal luring, unusual in a shark.
Bites on people
Not aggressive, but the tasselled wobbegong accounts for a number of wobbegong bites on divers and waders who step on, corner, or grab one. The bite is powerful, the teeth hook-shaped, and wobbegongs are notorious for not letting go.
Status
The tasselled wobbegong is Least Concern. It is localised on Indo-Australian reefs and vulnerable to reef degradation and fishing, but not currently considered threatened.
Tasselled Wobbegong: common questions
What is a wobbegong?
Wobbegongs are a group of about 12 species of flattened, bottom-dwelling sharks (family Orectolobidae) found mainly around Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean, sometimes called carpet sharks for their ornate patterning. They spend most of their time lying still on the sea floor or reef, camouflaged, and they hunt by ambush rather than pursuit. The name is thought to come from an Australian Aboriginal language, possibly meaning "shaggy beard," referring to the fringe of skin flaps around the mouth that is characteristic of the group and most developed in the tasselled wobbegong.
How does the tasselled wobbegong catch fish without chasing them?
It relies almost entirely on being invisible and on a very fast, powerful strike from a standstill. During the day it lies motionless on the reef, its carpet pattern and fringe of tassels dissolving its outline so completely that small fish and crustaceans will sit and rest directly on top of it. When a fish moves within reach of its wide mouth, the wobbegong opens its jaws explosively, creating suction that pulls the prey in, and clamps down with rows of long, sharp, backward-pointing teeth. The whole strike takes a fraction of a second. It also feeds at night, cruising slowly over the reef, but the ambush is its signature.
Does it really use its tail as a lure?
There is documented observation of a tasselled wobbegong curling its tail forward so that the tail tip sits near its own head, and gently waving it. The tail is marked with a pattern and an eye-spot that make it look, in the dim reef light, somewhat like a small fish. A predatory fish approaching to investigate this "prey" swims straight into the strike zone of the wobbegong's mouth. This kind of caudal luring is well known in some snakes and in juvenile alligator snapping turtles and fer-de-lance vipers, but it is unusual and noteworthy in a shark.
Is the tasselled wobbegong dangerous to divers?
It is not aggressive and will not chase or attack a person, but it is responsible for a fair share of the wobbegong bites recorded in Australian waters, which usually happen when someone treads on a camouflaged shark in shallow water, reaches into a hole or under a ledge where one is resting, corners it, or deliberately handles or teases it. The bite is powerful, the teeth are long and hook-shaped, and wobbegongs have a reputation for latching on and being extremely difficult to prise off, sometimes requiring the shark to be killed to free the victim. The sensible rule on an Indo-Pacific reef is to watch where you put your hands and feet and never touch one.