Image 4-22
Ornate Wobbegong

This image of a Japanese wobbegong (Orectolobus japonicus) was taken by NOAA photographers off the coast of New South Wales in Australia. Wobbegong is the common name given to species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are characterized by the shaggy growths around their mouth. The Ornate wobbygong is found in the western Pacific Ocean around eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. It grows to a maximum length of about 3.8 feet (1.17 meters). Wobbegongs are shy and not dangerous to humans.