DIVELOG JUNE 406

MARINE BIOLOGY WITH MIKE SCOTLAND - FISH IDENTIFICATION

The Bearded wobbegong has the best camouflage, the biggest beard and the largest mouth of the wobbies.

The eyes are slightly elevated and have a bump ▪ to help protect them from damage. They have a terminal mouth filled with sharp ▪ pointy teeth suited for eating fish whole. Their mouth is well in front of the eyes. ▪ They have two dorsal fins, a Caudal fin lacking a ▪ ventral lobe. i.e. Tail fin has no lower half. I have observed that wobbegongs can change shades of light and dark to a degree. Hale’s Ornate wobbegong has wider pectoral fins ▪

and a larger head. They grow to three metres. They are strong and very tough. Larger wobbegongs will attack the fish kill of ▪ humans who have been spearfishing in the wobbegong’s territory. What do they eat? Dr Charlie Huveneers studied their diet based on analysing stomach content. The problem was that most wobbies are hooked in the stomach and regurgitate their food before they were caught. In simple terms, here’s what he found.

Pygmy Ornate wobbegong, Orectolobus ornatus , grow to just over one metre long. They have excellent camouflage.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #406 - June ‘24