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Tasselled Wobbegong | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Tasselled Wobbegong

Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

ChondrichthyesShallow coral reefs, reef flats and caves in tropical waterLeast Concern

Field profile

The tasselled wobbegong is a flattened carpet shark that lies motionless on reef substrate, reaching about 1.8 metres. A fringe of branched skin flaps runs all round its head, breaking its outline against coral. It ambushes fish and invertebrates that come within reach of its mouth.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-07-13

Tasselled Wobbegong

The tasselled wobbegong wears a beard of camouflage

A fringe of branching dermal lobes rings the wobbegong's entire head, dissolving the hard edge that would otherwise reveal a shark lying on coral. The animal waits, sometimes for hours, and strikes upward when a fish swims over its mouth.

Read with evidence →