Welcome to Shark Week!! Every year since 1988, the Discovery Channel has devoted a week each summer to sharks. What started as an attempt to educate the public that there was more to sharks than just what they saw in Jaws has since become a cultural phenomenon. InspectorCacheIt227 got into Shark Week about 4 years ago and we regularly record about 60 hours worth of shows each year on our DVR. Last year while watching Shark Week, EmmaBoo227 started to write the names of sharks on log sheets she created and stuck them in a handful of containers we had won at a raffle and the idea for a shark week series was born.
But where to hide a shark week series? In the ocean would be ideal, but not realistic. But we have a body of water nearby. And while the caches can’t really be hidden in the lake, we could make them all puzzles and hide the caches around the lake. So that’s what we did. We hope you enjoy learning a little about some sharks you have probably heard of and learning a little more about some sharks you have probably never heard of.
These hides are all placed around Folsom Lake. Care was taken to avoid poison oak as much as possible, but it is still out there. Also beware off all the other hazards of the lake including, but not limited to, ticks, snakes, other animals, heat and uneven footing.
Cache is located at N38 42.BD, W121 10.CEA
Spotted Wobbegong
The spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, endemic to Australia. Colored green, yellow, or brown, it has distinctive O-shaped spots throughout its body. It is nocturnal, resting at day and feeding on fish and invertebrates at night. An ovoviviparous species, the spotted wobbegong gives birth in the spring, during which time males can act aggressively towards other males and females. It has been known to bite humans, sometimes unprovoked, which can produce severe wounds.
The spotted wobbegong has a large, robust body, which thins beyond its pelvic fins. 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. Electroreceptors are an important mechanism in feeding.
A. In what year was the spotted wobbegong first described? -1
B. What is the range of the spotted wobbegongs size (Both digits, inches)?
C. How long is the male spotted wobbegong when it reaches sexual maturity (cm)?
D. The spotted wobbegong generally live in waters no deeper than __ feet?
E. How many unprovoked attacks on humans have there been by the spotted wobbegong?
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