All fish / Orectolobidae

Northern Wobbegong

Orectolobus wardi

Also known as northern wobbegong, ward's wobbegong, wobbegong shark, carpet shark, no, オオセ, 沃氏须鲨

This small wobbegong is a flattened carpet shark with a broad head, a fringe of skin flaps around the mouth and a mottled brown and tan coat with darker saddles. It is kept by public aquaria and a few specialist hobbyists because it is one of the smallest wobbegongs and spends most of its time lying still on the bottom.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

63 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

2000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: whole fish, squid, prawns and shellfish, with vitamin supplements

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 25 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Northern Australia and southern New Guinea

Breeding

It gives birth to live young that develop inside the mother from yolk. Captive breeding is rare and generally limited to public aquaria.

Good to know

It is an ambush predator that will swallow any fish or invertebrate it can fit in its mouth and can bite keepers, so tankmates must be large and handling done with care. It needs a very large, well filtered tank with plenty of floor space, which is beyond most home aquaria.