Page 27 - Super Shark Encyclopedia

HIDDEN FROM PREY
A motionless wobbegong is TASSELED
perfectly disguised on the sea
floor. It uses its side fins to
clamber over rocks and has AMBUSHER
been seen breaking the surface
in shallow waters.
WOBBEGONG

Looking more like a piece of shaggy seaweed than a
shark, the wobbegong has the perfect way to snatch
a meal. It relies on its disguise and waits for prey to come
close before making a grab. Its wormlike tassels might
even lure a fish in. The flattened body of this shark is
not much good for building up speed in a chase, but
when it comes to attacking, the wobbegong is no
laggard. It can snap its jaws in the blink of an eye, and
sharp needlelike teeth ensure that even the most
slippery prey is trapped.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 3¼–12 ft (1–3.6 m) long
• HABITAT Rocky shallow ocean waters
and coral reefs
• LOCATION Coastlines of tropical eastern
Asia and Australasia
• DIET Crabs, lobsters, octopuses, and
bottom-living fish

STATS AND FACTS

DEPTH 0–165 ft /0–50 m
(usual depth)
The sensitive tassels of
ft 300 600 900
a wobbegong can detect
when prey comes within
its reach. Then it strikes, m 100 200 300
much faster than many 720 ft/220 m
(record depth)
other kinds of sharks.
DIET
12% octopus
TIME TO GRAB PREY
1 82% 6% other
sharks
bony fish
/50
SEC
25