carpet shark

noun

: any of an order (Orectolobiformes) of sharks of tropical and warm temperate oceans that have two dorsal fins without spines, barbels typically near the nostrils, and often intricately patterned mottled skin

It is a carpet shark whose amazing camouflage makes it hard to spot, and its modus operandi is to lie motionless on the seabed waiting for prey to come its way.

—David Gower, Daily Telegraph (London), 8 Jan. 2011

Note: Carpet sharks include nurse sharks, bamboo sharks, wobbegongs, and the whale shark.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

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