DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Carpet shark
Orectolobus maculatus
- Usual depth6–12 m
- Water temperature20–23 °C
- Best monthsSeptember, October, and November
- How commonCommon
Photo credit: (c) Sockrosma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The spotted wobbegong is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, endemic to Australia. It is a large, robust species, typically reaching 150–180 centimetres (59–71 in) in length. Coloured green, yellow, or brown, it has distinctive O-shaped spots throughout its body. It is nocturnal, resting at day and feeding on fish and invertebrates at night. An ovoviviparous species, the spotted wobbegong gives birth in the spring, during which time males can act aggressively towards other males and females. It has been known to bite humans, sometimes unprovoked, which can produce severe wounds. The species is fished commercially in Australia, but it is not severely threatened. It is listed as a least-concern species on the IUCN Red List.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Spotted wobbegong”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 2,430 records
- February: 1,388 records
- March: 875 records
- April: 797 records
- May: 1,048 records
- June: 955 records
- July: 1,675 records
- August: 3,069 records
- September: 3,862 records
- October: 4,652 records
- November: 4,204 records
- December: 3,021 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 6–12 m · Deepest record: 162 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–23 °C
Photos
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Lawrence Hylton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Lawrence Hylton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Joanna Chen, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) P Holroyd, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Carpet shark, Spotted wobbegong, Wobbegong, carpet shark, Common Carpet Shark, Common Catshark, Common Wobbegong, spotted wobbegong, Tassel Shark, wobbegong
Names in 5 more languages
- German
- Gefleckter Teppichhai, Gemeiner Teppichhai, Gepunkteter Teppichhai
- Spanish
- tapicero manchado, Wobbegong manchado
- French
- requin-tapis tacheté
- Japanese
- kumohada oose, kumohada ôse
- Simplified Chinese
- 斑紋鬚鯊, 斑鬚鯊, 虎沙
Other scientific names: Squalus appendiculatus, Squalus barbatus, Squalus lobatus, Squalus maculatus
Similar species
Banded Carpet SharkOrectolobus halei
Banded wobbegongOrectolobus ornatus
Floral Banded WobbegongOrectolobus floridus
Western WobbegongOrectolobus hutchinsi
False Cobbler WobbegongOrectolobus leptolineatus
North Australian wobbegongOrectolobus wardi
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 26,140 open-data records from 1898 to 2014.
- Species data updated November 5, 2026.
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