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Zebra Shark

 
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The zebra shark, Stegostoma fasciatum, is a common carpet shark
Carpet shark

The order Orectolobiformes, also collectively known as the carpet sharks because many members have carpet-like patterned markings, includes a number of familiar types of sharks, such as the nurse sharks and whale shark, as well as some unusual species, such as the blind shark....
 of inshore Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
 waters notable for its very long caudal fin, nearly as long as its body. It is the only species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 in the family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Stegostomatidae and the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Stegostoma.

name zebra shark is given because as a juvenile the shark has zebra
Zebra

Zebras are African equids best known for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual....
-like stripes. When it matures these stripes change to cheetah
Cheetah

The cheetah is an atypical member of the cat family that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. Therefore it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx....
-like spots.






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The zebra shark, Stegostoma fasciatum, is a common carpet shark
Carpet shark

The order Orectolobiformes, also collectively known as the carpet sharks because many members have carpet-like patterned markings, includes a number of familiar types of sharks, such as the nurse sharks and whale shark, as well as some unusual species, such as the blind shark....
 of inshore Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
 waters notable for its very long caudal fin, nearly as long as its body. It is the only species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 in the family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Stegostomatidae and the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Stegostoma.

Common name

The name zebra shark is given because as a juvenile the shark has zebra
Zebra

Zebras are African equids best known for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual....
-like stripes. When it matures these stripes change to cheetah
Cheetah

The cheetah is an atypical member of the cat family that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. Therefore it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx....
-like spots. A name widely used to refer to Triakis semifasciata, a small benthic shark found in the Eastern Pacific coastline of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
.

Distribution and habitat

The zebra shark is found in the tropical Western Pacific
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 and Indian
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
 oceans at depths of about 5 to 30 m
Metre

The metre or meter is a Unit of measurement of length. It is the SI base unit of length in the metric system and in the International System of Units , used around the world for general and scientific purposes....
.

Anatomy and appearance

It is a very sleek and slender shark, about 3.5m (11.5 ft) long. In addition to the long tail, the zebra shark has distinctive ridges running down its body. As its names suggest, it is patterned; young sharks are dark with yellowish stripes, changing to an adult pattern of a tan color with dark spots, found all over including the fins. The snout is rather rounded, with small barbel
Barbel (anatomy)

A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, and some species of shark....
s (whiskers).

Behavior

The zebra shark is a slow-moving type, often just sitting on the seafloor in the vicinity of coral reef
Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
s, on sandy or rocky bottoms. Unlike most types of sharks, it does not need to move, and instead pumps water through its gills. This is known as the ram-jet effect.

Diet

It feeds on mollusks, crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s, and small fish that it sucks out of the sand at night, and is capable of wiggling through small holes and crevices in its search for food.

Importance to humans

Zebra sharks do well in captivity, and a number of aquarium
Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. fishkeeping use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants....
s around the world have them on display. They are fished commercially on a small scale. They are often seen by scuba divers, and will lay still on the bottom as long as a diver does not come too close. They are harmless to divers as long as they are not disturbed. In addition several aquariums have shown them to be easy learners, even teaching them to respond to touch by flapping their gills. Due to its large caudal fins, this species are a prized catch for fishermen to make shark fin soup
Shark fin soup

Shark fin soup is a delicacy that has been a popular item of Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets....
.

In popular culture

The male lead of Margaret Drabble
Margaret Drabble

Dame Margaret Drabble Order of the British Empire, is an England novelist, biographer and critic....
's The Sea Lady is an expert on zebra sharks, which plays a substantial part in the plot.

See also

  • List of sharks
    List of sharks

    Shark classificationSharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. It is a fish. The Elasmobranchii also include batoidea and skate s; the Chondrichthyes also include Chimaeras....


External links

  • - Zebra Shark Pictures
  • ARKive -
  • - one of the worlds known congregation areas for Leopard sharks