Tasselled wobbegong
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| Orectolobus dasypogon (Bleeker, 1867) |
The tasselled wobbegong, Orectolobus dasypogon, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in the western Pacific Ocean around eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia, between latitudes 1° N and 23° S. It reaches a length of 1.25 m.
The tasselled wobbegong's body has a reticular pattern of narrow dark lines, and a caudal fin with its upper lobe hardly elevated above the body axis and a strong terminal lobe and subterminal notch but no ventral lobe. It is a little-known shark found on the continental shelf and offshore reefs, probably feeding on bottom fishes and invertebrates. It might bite in self-defense or when mistaking a human foot for its usual prey. Its tough skin is sometimes used for leather. The maximum length of 3.66 m reported for this species is uncertain.
Reproduction is ovoviviparous.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Orectolobus dasypogon". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. may 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
