We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Environment

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Zebra Shark?

By Jacob Queen
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,143
Share

The zebra shark is named for its distinctive striped color pattern. This pattern actually changes as the sharks get older—the stripes turn into spots. In some cases, the older sharks are actually referred to as leopard sharks, but technically, they are still generally considered zebra sharks, even if they don't look like zebras anymore. A full-grown zebra shark can be 11 feet long (3.3 meters), but they begin losing their stripes when they're only 27 inches (70 cm). These sharks have a wide head, a long tail, and two ridges that run the entire length of their bodies.

Zebra sharks aren't known to be particularly dangerous to human swimmers. They are bottom feeders, generally hunting at night and resting during the daylight hours. Their favorite foods include shrimp, crabs, mollusks, and occasionally smaller fish. They are generally quite skilled at wriggling into tight spaces, which makes them especially good at finding food sources on the sea floor.

These sharks are most commonly found in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Red Sea. This range includes areas like South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, and Japan. They usually live close to shore in shallow places near coral reefs. They have the ability to tolerate fresh water, at least for short periods, but they probably don't spend much time in that kind of environment.

When breeding, the male shark uses claspers to fertilize the female internally. Later, she lays a very large and well-protected egg that hatches after about six months. When it's first born, a baby zebra shark is about 11 inches (30 cm) long and has to fend for itself immediately.

The zebra shark is not technically considered an endangered species, but many experts feel it has been over-fished. Their meat is quite popular in a number of different dishes, and their fins are commonly used for shark fin soup. There have not been any significant studies of the zebra shark population, but most experts think they are probably in decline.

Some people believe shark fin soup has medicinal properties, which has led to its popularity in certain parts of the world. Many shark species have had big population declines because of overfishing by commercial vessels looking for shark fins. When sharks are caught for this purpose, the fins are normally removed and the rest of the shark is generally thrown into the sea. This practice, which is called "finning," has been outlawed in many countries, including the United States.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-zebra-shark.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.