All fish / Orectolobidae

Japanese Wobbegong

Orectolobus japonicus

Also known as japanese wobbegong, japanese carpet shark, wobbegong, carpet shark, no.70, オオセ, 日本须鲨

A flattened carpet shark with a bold brown, cream and dark saddle pattern and a fringe of skin flaps around the mouth that hides its outline on the seabed. Public aquariums and a few dedicated private keepers value it as a calm-looking, mostly inactive ambush predator that spends long periods lying still.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

100 cm

Temperature

16 to 24 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

3000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: whole fish, squid, shrimp and other meaty seafood

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

20 to 25 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Northwest Pacific: Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines

Breeding

It gives live birth after the eggs hatch inside the mother, producing litters of around 20 or more pups. Captive breeding is rare and really only happens in large public aquariums.

Good to know

It reaches 1 m or more, needs a very large cool-water system with plenty of floor space, and will swallow any fish or invertebrate that fits in its mouth. Its bite is strong and it can snap at hands during feeding or tank maintenance.