The Order Orectolobiformes comprises a group of sharks commonly known as carpet sharks, which includes species like the whale shark, wobbegongs, and nurse sharks. These sharks are mostly bottom-dwelling or slow-swimming, with broad, flattened bodies and distinctive patterned skin that often provides camouflage on the ocean floor. Many have barbels near the mouth to help detect prey, and they feed on a variety of fish, invertebrates, and plankton (in the case of the whale shark). Orectolobiformes are found primarily in tropical and subtropical waters and are generally non-aggressive toward humans, making them ecologically important as both predators and filter feeders in marine ecosystems.