Where is the zebra shark found?
Occurs in the shallow waters of the Indian Ocean and West Pacific from South Africa to the Red Sea, from Pakistan, India and Southeast Asia to China, Indonesia and the Philippines and from Australia and New Caledonia to Southern Japan. Found on and adjacent to coral reefs, usually in areas with sandy seafloor.
Is a zebra shark a leopard shark?
Zebra sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum) are known in Thailand and around the Andaman Sea as Leopard sharks. This is confusing as there is another species of shark called the Leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) found along the Pacific North American coast (See image below).
Do zebra sharks bite?
Docile and slow-moving, zebra sharks are not dangerous to humans and can be easily approached underwater. However, they have bitten divers who pull on their tails or attempt to ride them. As of 2008 there is one record of an unprovoked attack in the International Shark Attack File, though no injuries resulted.
Do zebra sharks bite humans?
Where do zebra sharks sleep?
This species attains a length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft). Zebra sharks are nocturnal and spend most of the day resting motionless on the sea floor. At night, they actively hunt for molluscs, crustaceans, small bony fishes, and possibly sea snakes inside holes and crevices in the reef.
What kind of shark is a zebra shark?
The Zebra Shark, also known as the Leopard Shark or Stegostoma Fasciatum, is a very interesting shark. Many have even been able to witness this creature first hand as many public aquariums have them in captivity. This shark actually changes in appearance over its lifetime.
How big is the longest zebra shark ever recorded?
The longest zebra shark ever recorded was 11 feet long. Zebra sharks are incredibly flexible and slim and can forage in narrow crevices. The proper scientific name for zebra sharks is like the tastes-great-vs-less-filling beer debate of the marine taxonomy world.
Is the zebra shark endangered in the world?
The World Conservation Union has assessed this species as Endangered worldwide, as it is taken by commercial fisheries across most of its range (except off Australia) for meat, fins, and liver oil. There is evidence that its numbers are dwindling.
What kind of scientific name does a shark have?
All organisms have a double-barreled (“binomial”) scientific name written in Latin. On this website we use the scientific names of sharks in our species descriptions, for the same reason that scientists do.
Which is the correct scientific name for a zebra shark?
Zebra sharks are incredibly flexible and slim and can forage in narrow crevices. The proper scientific name for zebra sharks is like the tastes-great-vs-less-filling beer debate of the marine taxonomy world. The majority of scientists use Stegostoma fasciatum. However, another school of thought believes Stegostoma varium is the right choice.
What kind of ocean does a zebra shark live in?
Zebra shark. The zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is a species of carpet shark and the sole member of the family Stegostomatidae. It is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, frequenting coral reefs and sandy flats to a depth of 62 m (203 ft).
What kind of parasites do zebra sharks have?
Common parasites documented from the zebra shark includes four species of tapeworm, Pedibothrium spp. Others are the Branchellion torpedinis a marine leech and Pseudolacistorhynchus nanus, a species of flatworm. These parasites attach to themselves to the zebra sharks at various points.
What was the Aboriginal name for the zebra shark?
Crawford House Press. Pp. 557. The Aboriginal people of coastal Sydney had their own names for the different species of fish, some of which were recorded by First Fleet officers. The general name for fish was maugro. Throughout the 1860s the Australian Museum was led by its formidable, but ill-fated German born curator — Gerard Krefft.
Are zebra sharks dangerous?
