And Then There Are Sharks

There are over 400 species of sharks, the majority of which do NOT have the reputation of the great white. Sharks come in all sizes, the smallest only about 6 inches long, and the largest, the whale shark, over 40 feet long.  The whale shark is a member of a family of sharks known as carpet sharks, so named because of their distinctive markings similar to intricate carpet patterns, but the name applies to some members of this group more than others.  Many of the species are small nocturnal bottom-dwellers and are the more benign members of this intimidating group of fish. However, any animal may act unexpectedly if it is feeling threatened or protecting young. Members of the Orectolobiformes family include blind sharks...

Blind shark    Source:  Wikipedia

of which there are only two species and aren't actually blind, but are called that because of their habit of closing their eyes when taken out of the water.  They are only about two feet long and can be found around Australia.  Their claim to fame, besides the reason for their name, is that they sometimes get caught in tide pools and can survive out of the water for up to 18 hours, time enough for the tide to come back in.

Nurse sharks are also in this family and are generally slow-moving, quiet bottom dwellers.  There are three species in this group the largest, simply known as the nurse shark, is about 14 feet long and the smallest, the short-tail nurse shark is only about 2 feet long,  Nurse sharks are also nocturnal, hiding in crevices and under ledges during the day and hunting at night. The tawny nurse shark is about 10 feet long and the favored item on the menu is octopus which is extracted from crevices with a distinct suction motion due to its large throat cavity.

Tawny nurse shark     Source:  Wikipedia

Bamboo sharks are also known as long-tailed carpet sharks aptly named because their tails exceed the length of the rest of their body.  The largest species only reaches about four feet long and prefer feeding on small fish, clams and crabs,  There are two genus of bamboo sharks with 8 species each including the brown-banded bamboo shark...

Source:  Wikipedia

and the epaulette shark.

Source:  Wikipedia

The most interesting group of this family of sharks are the wobbegongs; there are 12 species and the best representatives of the name 'carpet' shark because of their markings which act as camouflage, along with their weed-like whisker lobes which resemble shag carpet!  They are also bottom dwellers and prefer shallow waters. Reaching up to almost 6 feet in length, the tasselled wobbegong is a perfect example of this unique shark that doesn't look at all like a shark.

Source:  Wikipedia

The spotted wobbegong is the largest of this group and can reach up to 10 feet long. Even though it doesn't have the sleek shape of a great white, its size alone is pretty impressive.

Source:  Wikipedia

Looking at this ornate wobbegong juvenile you might think this species would be some kind of weird catfish instead of a shark.  This species reaches only about 4 feet long.

Source:  Wikipedia

There are 8 species of collared carpet sharks, such as this saddle carpet shark.  One of the smaller sharks, it grows to only about 20 inches long.

Source:  Wikipedia

And last, but not least, is the zebra shark.  This guy which can reach up to 8 feet long and looks like it should be called leopard shark instead of zebra shark...

Source:  Wikipedia

until you see the youngsters who make a little more sense of their name.

Source:  Wikipedia

Just as you can't always tell a book by its cover, you can't always tell a fish by its name.

Here's a video of a wobbegong.