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Banded Wobbegong
Orectolobus ornatus (De Vis, 1883)
A Banded Wobbegong at North West Solitary Island, New South Wales. Photo © I. Shaw. View larger image.
A juvenile Banded Wobbegong at the Pipe Line, Nelson Bay, New South Wales. Photo © G. McNeil. View larger image.
A juvenile Banded Wobbegong at North West Solitary Island, New South Wales. Photo © I. Shaw. View larger image.
The Banded Wobbegong can be recognised by its body shape and colouration. It has a broad, flattened head with skin flaps around the snout margin. The eyes are small and oval (see bottom image). This species has two dorsal fins which are positioned posteriorly on the body. The caudal fin has a long upper lobe. The anal fin is positioned so far posteriorly, it almost looks like a lower caudal fin lobe (more details).
This species is usually golden-brown with broad dark areas, and blueish-grey spots above. It is pale below. The margins of the fins often have dark spots. This can be seen on the leading edge of the pectoral fin in the upper image.
It is recorded from all Australian coasts and from Papua New Guinea. The similar Spotted Wobbegong, O.maculatus, is most commonly found in temperate Australian coastal waters from southern Queensland to south-western Western Australia. It can be distinguished from the Banded Wobbegong by its colour pattern which consists of broad dark saddles and distinct circles formed by groupings of small white dots.
The Banded Wobbegong is usually seen in clear water on inshore reefs and offshore islands to depths of at least 50 m. Divers most often see the Banded Wobbegong lying on the bottom during daylight hours. It is generally not aggressive, however it should be considered as potentially dangerous due to its large size (up to 3 m in length) and sharp teeth.
View a low resolution movie clip (47k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
Further reading
- Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4, Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes: viii, 1-250.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F, Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
