Spotted Wobbegong

The spotted wobbegong has a large, robust body, which thins beyond its pelvic fins. It grows in the range of 150–180 centimetres (59–71 in), but can reach 320 centimetres (130 in). It is green, yellow, or brown in colour, with a darker back and darker saddles. It is covered with O-shaped spots, which distinguish it from other species that look similar to it. It has six to ten dermal lobes behind and in front of its eye and a tubercle above its eye. Its body lacks ridges or caudal keels. Other characteristics of the species include dermal flaps surrounding the rim of its mouth, large barbels extending from its nostrils, and large spiracles.

The spotted wobbegong is endemic to Australia, usually living in tropical waters no deeper than 218 metres (715 ft). 38 specimens caught from 1882 to 1995 were found in waters 20–176 metres (66–577 ft) deep. Sightings have been reported in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia, in the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean. Records are also known of the species living in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, but these are likely to be invalid. Some records have misidentified other fish species living in Japan and the South China Sea as this species.

Potential predators of spotted wobbegongs include any large fish or marine mammal.

A nocturnal species, the spotted wobbegong feeds at night and rests in sandy bottoms, coral reefs, and coastal bays in the day. Adults most commonly occur on algae-covered rocky reefs and meadows of sea grass or sand, while juveniles are mostly found in estuaries. Because of the species' colour pattern, it camouflages well on rocky bottoms. Although it has not been confirmed, the species may always return to a single site repeatedly throughout its life. Its diet consists of fishes, including luderick, scorpionfishes, sea basses, other smaller shark species (including individuals of their own species), and rays, and various invertebrates, such as crabs, lobsters, and octopuses. Like all wobbegongs, it has a short mouth and broad pharynx, which allow it to suck up prey more easily.

Although the spotted wobbegong is generally docile with humans, it is sometimes aggressive with them. Its defence mechanism is a bite, which can cause severe wounds due to the species' tendency to hold its bite for a long time. Reports are known of it attacking people if they step on it or put a limb near its mouth. Divers sometimes pull it by the tail during its daytime resting period, which often provokes it enough to bite. The species can attack if caught with a fishing line or net, or if speared. In one circumstance, a spotted wobbegong specimen bit off a fisherman's foot. It may also attack a human holding a speared or hooked fish, as well as the fish itself. In 1789, Arthur Phillip, the first governor of New South Wales, wrote about the spotted wobbegong, which he called "Watts's Shark", in his book Voyage to Botany Bay. He said that it ferociously attacked the dog of "Mr. Watts":