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Spotted Wobbegong
Orectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788)

A juvenile Spotted Wobbegong at a depth of 5m, Shiprock, Port Hacking, Sydney, New South Wales.

A Spotted Wobbegong at a depth of 23m, Shark Point, Sydney, New South Wales. View larger image.

Above and below: A Spotted Wobbegong trying to make a meal of a Freckled Porcupinefish at a depth of 9 m, Cook Island, Kingscliff, New South Wales, March 2007. Photo © B. Carter. View larger image.

The photographer did not see if the Freckled Porcupinefish managed to escape. Photo © B. Carter. View larger image.

The Spotted Wobbegong can be recognised by the skin flaps around the snout margin and the distinctive colour pattern of dark saddles and white rings on a yellow to greenish-brown background.

It is about 20 cm in length when born and reaches a maximum size of about 3 m.

Feeding occurs mainly at night and includes prey items such as fishes, crayfish, crabs and octopuses.

Spotted Wobbegongs live in shallow coastal waters down to about 100 m depth. They often lie on sand or rocky reef bottoms and are frequently seen by divers.

This species occurs along the southern coastline of Australia from southern Queensland to south-western Western Australia. It is possibly endemic to Australia. Records from Japan and the South China Sea are probably errors.

The genus name Orectolobus comes from the Greek words orectos, meaning stretched out, and lobos meaning a rounded projection or protuberance. The genus name most likely refers to the barbels on the head. The species name maculatus comes from the Latin word macula which means spot, and refers to the shark's spotted colouration. Wobbegong is an Australian aboriginal word.

Related links

• Banded Wobbegong fact sheet
• View the Family Orectolobidae list
• View the sharks list

Further reading

1. Brown, R.W. 1956. Composition of Scientific Words. R. W. Brown. Pp. 882.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
3. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
4. Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513, Pl. 1-84.
5. Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F., J.C.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
6. Whitley, G.P. 1940. The fishes of Australia. Part I. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Royal Zoological Society N.S.W., Australian Zoological Handbook 1-280.