In the coastal and reef areas around Australia, New Guinea and Japan lurks a silent, virtually invisible predator. It is a four-foot-long nocturnal, ambush hunter called the tasseled wobbegong shark. Around its huge jaw is a fringe of frills that it wiggles in the water, enticing prey to come closer in search of a meal. What happens next is fast and deadly! It lunges forward, opening its wide mouth to create a powerful vacuum that draws in the fish, ray or bottom-dwelling invertebrate that ventured too close to the danger zone.

This unusual shark is a master of camouflage with a mottled pattern on its body that makes it virtually disappear against the sand and algae-covered ocean floor. It can even change color, over several days’ time, to adjust to environmental changes. If you decide to go looking for this aquatic creature, you may have a challenge! Be sure to look carefully under rocks and ledges, because it spends most of the day resting in hidden, sheltered areas.

Come to Ocean Voyager and see if you can spot these hidden ambush hunters!

• This wobbegong is believed to reach lengths of up to about 49 inches.
• This species is listed as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List.
• This fish is ovoviviparous, meaning fertilization of eggs occurs internally, and the young develop within the female and are born fully-formed.
• This species occurs on the continental shelf and offshore reefs.
• It can be found in the Western Pacific.

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