Australian Carpet Shark

This nocturnal shark is rarely seen by divers.

Australian carpet shark.

Carpet shark order orectolobiformes any of about 40 species of sharks possessing mottled patterns on the body that are evocative of carpet designs. They are found in all oceans but are concentrated in the indo pacific and australian regions. Carpet sharks have five gill slits two spineless dorsal fins and a small mouth that does not extend past the eyes. It has dark corrugated saddles that are bordered by rows of small dark spots.

A slender greyish brown catshark with a pale underside 6 7 faint slightly darker saddles along the back the first at the gill openings darker brown spots on the head body and fins including more than 6 spots on the side between the dorsal fins. Sometimes the common name carpet shark is used interchangeably with wobbegong which is the common name of sharks in the family orectolobidae. Many species are large but they are not considered. An australian carpet shark orectolobus maculatus with brown and white skin word origin for wobbegong from a native australian language collins english dictionary complete unabridged 2012 digital edition william collins sons co.

The varied carpetshark is an elongate tubular fish that has a broad black band with small white spots around the gill region. Many species have barbels. The species is endemic to australia. 1979 1986 harpercollins publishers 1998 2000 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2012.