This a tasselled wobbegong showing off his shaggy beard

Today I want to write about an amazing sea creature, the tasselled wobbegong.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. These strange looking fish can grow up to 1.8 metres long.
2. Wobbegongs are actually a kind of shark and are also known as carpet sharks.  The name wobbegong is believed to come from an aboriginal word that means “shaggy beard.”
3. Tasselled wobbegongs are ambush predators, waiting on the sea floor at night for small fish, crabs, squid or cuttlefish to come past.  They also use their tails and the growths around their mouth to lure potential prey.
4. Females give birth to about 20 live pups at a time and the babies measure about 20 cm long.
5. Tasselled wobbegongs are found in the coral reefs of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.  They are considered near threatened due to damage to reefs and pollution.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about tasselled wobbegongs?