Zebra Sharks

BY ALEX SOMBATH
Habitat

Tropical Western Pacific and Indian

oceans, usually found near coral
reefs.
Bottom-dwellers 62 m (203 ft.) over
the continental and insular
shelves. (Underwater Land masses
extending from continents and
islands.)
Sometimes theyll cross oceanic
waters to reach isolated seamounts
with recorded movements of up 87
miles.
Life span

If held in captivity, usually 15

years. Out in wild, up to 25
years.
Can grow up to 8.2 feet with
an unproven record of 11
feet.
Survival and Feeding

Small fish, Crabs, Shrimp, snails squids, and sea

snakes in coral reefs. Because of their flexible
bodies, they can easily search for food in
narrow holes and crevices.
Swimming helps them breathe, because it
forces oxygenated water over their gills.
They have the ability to pump water over their
gills and to make it easier, Zebra sharks face
the ocean current.
Their oil-rich livers help with buoyancy.
Usually chill by themselves.
Survival
continued
Males follow females and bite at
her pectoral fins and tail, leading
to both sharks sinking to the
bottom. (Mating)
Females lay an average of ten
large eggs which hatch after 5
months and the babies are about
1 feet long.
In captivity, the eggs hatch after
four to six months, depending on
temperature.
Human Impact

Tiger and Bull Sharks are their only

natural predators besides humans,
which we hunt them for meat and
fins because some countries
consider it a delicacy to have fin
soup.
Liver is processed for vitamins.
U.S. passed a low in 2000 that
forbids shark finning and
possessing shark fins without shark
bodies. Others countries like
Canada, Australia, Mexico, etc.
Ae helping but we still need more
to regulate.
Sources:

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/zebra-shark/
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/fishes/zebra-
shark
https://aqua.org/explore/animals/zebra-shark
Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of
Shark Species Known to Date Volume 2
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-
profiles/stegostoma-fasciatum
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/17/health/zebra-shark-
reproduction/index.html