Wobbegong (assorted)

Wikipedia gives wobbegong as the common name of the 12 species of carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, which the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) lists as an accepted family. This group entry covers sightings where the species was not recorded.

Wikipedia says their bold markings resemble a carpet, and that small, weed-like dermal lobes around the jaw improve the camouflage. Most species reach a maximum length of 1.25 m; the largest, the spotted and banded wobbegongs, reach about 3 m.

A conservation status is not given here, because this entry covers a whole group.

Wikipedia says wobbegongs live in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, chiefly around Australia and Indonesia.

Where Divers Find Them

At Nusa Penida, Bali, Bali Aqua Penida names wobbegongs at Blue Corner and Crystal Bay, Bali Fun Diving names wobbegong sharks at Blue Corner, and Emperor Divers says wobbegong sharks are commonly spotted in the gullies and swim-throughs of Manta Bay. None of these says which species.

Wikipedia calls wobbegongs bottom-dwelling sharks that spend much of their time resting on the sea floor. They are ambush predators that use their camouflage to catch smaller fish, and their diet consists of bony fish, cephalopods and chondrichthyans.

Underwater Encounter Behavior

The sources cited here do not describe how wobbegongs react to divers.