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. Like other sharks, the spotted wobbegong has abundant pores that operate as electroreceptors in its skin. They are used to detect the electric fields of nearby animals, making it easier to find prey. Marine & Freshwater Research, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, studied and compared the electroreceptors of the spotted wobbegong to those of the Australian angelshark (Squatina australis), a distantly related shark species. The spotted wobbegong has a more complex electrosensory system than the Australian angelshark, and the spotted wobbegong has a pore cluster inside its snout that is not present in the Australian angelshark. For both species, these electroreceptors are an important mechanism in feeding.