Life Below Water – Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve
Wobbegongs
Interview with Sian Liddy, Marine Ecologist. Sian describes why Cabbage Tree Bay is important for Wobbegongs. The video contains overlay shots of Wobbegongs and Sian observing their behaviour underwater in the bay.
Video text transcript
Life Below Water – Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve
Wobbegongs Video interview with Marine Ecologist Sian Liddy
(Sian is sitting on the rocks overlooking Cabbage Tree Bay. She describes why Cabbage Tree Bay is important for wobbegongs. The video contains overlay shots of wobbegongs and Sian observing their behaviour underwater in the bay.)
Sian Liddy:
Wobbegongs are a species of carpet sharks, which are named for their striking yellowish-brown pattern that adorn their skin. We’re so lucky to have a diversity of charismatic sharks right here on our doorstep. With banded, ornate, and spotted wobbegong, not being found in any other country in the world. If you have a keen eye, you’ll find them nestled in amongst the seaweed or the rocky crevices or just tucked in under a ledge. And then they become more nocturnally active.
Wobbegongs have a really distinctive, shaggy beard to help draw in curious fish even closer. The shark will employ the ‘sit and wait’ ambush predatory style of waiting until the fish is just close enough before it opens its jaws, creating almost like a vacuum to suck in the fish. It then grabs hold with its rearward facing teeth and it has quite a lot of force behind its jaw.
Its jaw structure also facilitates dislocation, which means that it can engulf quite a large size range of prey. Things like bony fish, cephalopods, and depending on the size of wobbegong, they can even target smaller sharks and rays.
Whilst wobbegongs are not generally considered to be dangerous to humans, these captivating animals really need to be given space and treated with respect. You see more spotted Wobbegongs here in Cabbage Tree Bay during the spring and summer months. There’s a lot of nutrient-rich water, which does coincide with their mating season which is around December-January when it peaks. They only breed once every three years. They’ll then give birth to live young, which are kind of like perfectly formed little adults.
Wobbegongs are listed as vulnerable in New South Wales and because they play such an important role in the eco-system, having aquatic reserves which are no-take like Cabbage Tree Bay, are really important at providing these animals protection and facilitating the health of our entire marine eco-systems.