Ornate wobbegong  (Orectolobus ornatus)

With beautifully elaborate colouration, flattened bodies and branched projections around the jaws, wobbegongs are among the most unusual and highly distinctive shark species (3) (4). The ornate wobbegong’s particular colouration pattern features broad, dark patches on the upperparts, with black, wavy borders, containing numerous light spots within. These patches are interspersed by lighter areas, also mottled with a multitude of dark spots with light centres (5). Overall, the upperparts are golden-brown, and the underparts are pale (3). The arrangement and shape of the fins of wobbegongs is uncharacteristic of sharks, with two dorsal fins set well back on the body, with the first dorsal fin located over the pelvic fins (5). The tail is long, with the anal fin set so far back that it appears to be the lower lobe of the caudal fin, which, in fact, only has an upper lobe (3) (6). The broad flattened head has two fleshy barbells hanging down from the snout, while on either side of the mouth there are several extra, slightly branched projections, known as dermal lobes, which resemble fronds of seaweed (3) (5). The large jaws contain two rows of long, fang-like teeth in the upper jaw and three in the lower jaw (5).