#Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

[the-island-and-the-dream]

Flat Fuck Friday!

(Eucrossorhinus dasypogon - Tasselled wobbegong)

[thecreatureawaits]

Creature Awaits #226

Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry. Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )

(Endearing capture taken by Paul Korecky (CC BY-SA 2.0))

The Tasselled Wobbegong

Scientific Name: Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

Region: Shallow reefs lining northern Australia, New Guinea, the Aru Islands and Waigeo

Size: Up to 5'10" (~1.8m) long

Interesting Notes: This unique and beautiful carpet shark rests camouflaged against coral reefs along the sea floor with its tail curled under ledges and in caves during the day, although it may ambush unsuspecting passersby should the opportunity arise. At night it more actively hunts its favored prey among crustaceans, cephalopods and fish - luring many to their feasted-on fate by slowly waving the end of its tail like a small fish.

[i-give-you-a-fish]

*slams table* i want the weirdest looking guy in your stock my good sir

A classic

You get a Tasseled Wobblegong

Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

EDIT: unfortunately not a Wobblegong. Most likely a goosefish but not sure which species

[uncharismatic-fauna]

trick or treat!

You got a bearded wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)!

[shark-of-tha-day]

shark of the day: tasselled wobbegong shark, eucrossorhinus dasypogon

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the tasselled wobbegong is a flattened species of carpet shark named for the beard-like tassels on its face. they grow to be about 1.25 metres(~3.5 ft) in length. tasselled wobbegongs can typically be found in and around shallow reefs in the western indo-pacific. they are ambush predators, lying motionless on the seafloor until prey such as fish and various invertibrates swims close, at which point they lunge foreward and engulf prey whole in their mouths.

[project-valhalla]

The tasselled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon), a species of carpet shark

[newsnoshonline]

Wobbegong con nappe: il maestro del travestimento che può mangiare uno squalo grande quasi quanto lui Il Wobbegong con Nappe: un Maestro del Travestimento Il Wobbegong con Nappe, scientificamente noto come Eucrossorhinus dasypogon, popola l’Oceano Pacifico occidentale, sulle coste dell’Australia settentrionale, della Nuova Guinea e dell’Indonesia. Un Predatore Straordinario Questi squali tappeto possono raggiungere una lunghezza di circa 1,2 metri e si mimetizzano perfettamente con il fondale oceanico grazie al loro corpo largo, piatto e alla colorazione scura e maculata. I lobi di carne intorno alla testa e al mento conferiscono loro un aspetto unico. Una Tattica di Caccia Efficace I Wobbegong sono predatori astuti che, grazie alla loro abilità mimetica, cacciano efficacemente le prede. Durante

[several-types-of-animals]

Tasselled Wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)

[skenvs3000w24]

Wonderful Wobbegongs

Hello again everyone!

This week I will be interpreting the most amazing thing I know about nature for you—which, if you know anything about me, is bound to involve my one true love: sharks. 

Sharks come in many shapes and sizes. When you think of sharks most people probably think of ground sharks or mackerel sharks—these are your classic great whites, tiger sharks, and bull sharks that are so popular in movies and on TV. Sharks can also be super tiny like pygmy and cookiecutter sharks, or huge like basking and whale sharks. They can be cute and charming like oceanic whitetips and thresher sharks or a little bit more… unique like goblin and frilled sharks (though I suppose that’s more up to personal taste). 

Just a quick look into some of the amazing diversity of sharks (Image: Sharks FAQ n.d.). 

My favourite types of sharks, though, are the wonderful carpet sharks like the tasselled wobbegong! 

Just look at that fringe (Image: Levy, 2024)!

These sharks are pretty far from the traditional image of a shark with their flattened bodies and unique patterning, which is part of what I love about them. The term wobbegong references an Australian Aboriginal word meaning “shaggy beard,” which certainly fits their look (Wobbegong Shark 2023). The fun name was what drew me to these sharks in the first place as a kid. They also behave a lot differently from the common perception of sharks by using their patterns to blend into the ocean floor and ambush their prey as it swims past rather than chasing it down as one would imagine of a shark (Carpet Shark: Meet the 7 families of orectolobiformes 2023). Generally, they eat fish and marine invertebrates but they have been known to bite humans who step too close (Bester, n.d.). Wobbegongs are also nocturnal, coming out at night to hunt, and have a strong bite that can be very difficult to remove once they chomp down (Tasselled wobbegong n.d.). 

You can find wobbegong sharks in shallower, coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific ocean where they have plenty of interesting material to blend into (Tasselled wobbegong n.d.). They’re around 4 feet long, so certainly not the biggest shark but not quite tiny either! Not a lot is known about the conservation status of wobbegongs, but they are considered “Near Threatened” by the IUCN since the habitats where they live are expected to decline with global anthropogenic change (Bester, n.d.). I would love to see there be more information about wobbegongs gathered so we can make sure these unique sharks are protected in the years to come (and also so I will have more information about them to share with people). 

I hope you all enjoyed reading about what I think is one of the coolest and most under-appreciated types of shark out there and I hope it has inspired some people to learn more about them. I can’t wait to see what other amazing facets of nature everyone has written about!

References

Bester, C. (n.d.). Eucrossorhinus Dasypogon. Discover Fishes. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/eucrossorhinus-dasypogon/ 

Carpet Shark: Meet the 7 families of orectolobiformes. Scuba.com. (2023, July 6). https://www.scuba.com/blog/carpet-bunch-7-families-carpet-sharks/ 

Levy, E. (2024, March 15). Tasselled wobbegong shark. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/elevy/14280770698 

Sharks FAQ. Discover Fishes. (n.d.). https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/sharks/faq/ 

Tasselled wobbegong. National Aquarium. (n.d.). https://aqua.org/explore/animals/tasselled-wobbegong 

Wobbegong Shark. Smithsonian Ocean. (2023, May 11). https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/wobbegong-shark 

[fuckyeahaquaria]

Tasseled Wobbegong Shark | Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

The Tasselled Wobbegong is primarily a nocturnal ambush predator that relies on patience, camouflage and reflexes to hunt, however the one adaptation that makes E. dasypogon more effective is its ability to use its ‘beard’ as bait to draw its prey closer in a similar way to that of Anglerfish, it tends to feed on anything that passes close enough for a quick strike.

[aticketplz]

最高のポーズで休んでるかたがいらっしゃって、なんのオオセかわからないまま夢中で望遠レンズに替えてバシバシ撮影。

Twitterでタッセルドウォビゴングと教えていただきました。ありがとうございます!

オオセ、わからん!

でもひげ最高!!!!

@アクアワールド大洗

[natureisthegreatestartist]

What’s this? It’s a tasselled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon), a shark species that lives in coral reefs off Australia and New Guinea. Freaky and fabulous, right?

[jumpintothewaves]

Weirdo Wednesday

Heyyyy this week’s weirdo is....

The tasseled wobblegong: Eucrossorhinus dasypogon

I don’t have to explain how this weirdo made the list, right? Also known as the carpet shark, the Wobblegong inhabits the ocean floors of the Indian Ocean and the Great Barrier Reef. Both their head and body are flattened, their jaws  protrude forward, they have a very wide mouth, and have little tassels hanging from their faces. The name Wobblegong is Australian Aboriginal in origin, but the exact translation is unknown. The best guess is that it means “living rock” rather fitting, I think. Do not be fooled by this weirdo unusual appearance, they are powerful, intelligent, and patient hunters.

A master of Ambush

This weirdo is not aggressive. The only human bites recorded were because they were harassed (PSA: do not harass wildlife). Otherwise they’re lurking in the shadows, waiting for their next meal. The Wobblegong’s spotted body, textured look, flatted body, and ability to hold still, they are virtually undetectable. They are not picky eaters either! They seem to feed on any benthic fish or invertebrate that happens to fit in its mouth (and even that isn’t a requirement). This incredibly effective ambush hunter will wait for an unsuspecting fish to swim a little too close, and then suck it into its large mouth! It all happens so fast, the fish don’t have time to react. In the photo below, you may notice not only is the weirdo eating a fellow shark, but it clearly won’t fit into its mouth! This doesn’t seem to bother the Wobblegong, who has learned that anything is possible with time. They clamp down on larger prey until it either suffocates or is too tired, and then slowly eats it. Ruthless!!

Conservation

The Wobblegong faces the same threats that any coral reef inhabitant faces: climate change. This weirdo lives in the reefs and feeds on its neighbors, and is currently facing habitat destruction in areas like the Great Barrier Reef. Their population numbers are expected to drop in the near future, but presently they are of least concern. They’re also a popular fish in the aquarium trade, which has its own issues regarding habitat destruction. That being said, the Wobblegongs do well in captivity and can adapt well to new environments, which gives me hope that this weirdo will continue to be of least concern moving forward. 

Check out this amazing footage of the Tasseled Wobblegong hunting and using a lure to catch its prey!!

[amnhnyc]

Look closely and you might be able to see the outline of the tasseled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon). This shark is a master of disguise and an expert ambush predator. It leverages its camouflage to lure in unsuspecting prey. It’s mainly nocturnal and hunts at night. When prey, like crab or squid, come near, it strikes! The shark’s body shape also allows it to fit into tight spaces, which make sneaky hunting spots. Photo: Simon Deblock Underwater Photography/ DocTroll, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, flickr https://www.instagram.com/p/CLqUROyAgox/?igshid=4onbqsu0j3pa

[fullfrontalfish]

Tasseled Wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

tasseled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)