Facts about Zebra Sharks

When Steven Spielberg directed the American thriller "Jaws" in 1975, he created a mass phobia about shark attacks in the minds of people all over the world. People developed a fear of venturing out in the ocean for a swim. There was a rumor that it terrorized people to such an extent that they stopped swimming in their own pools! Whoa! What a mass hysteria!

Sharks are amazing marine animals. These ancient creatures have been living in the oceans since the last 350 million years, and in fact, have out-lived dinosaurs. These cartilaginous fish have no swim bladder like that of the bony fish. It is interesting to know that unlike bony fish, sharks cannot swim backwards. They have large oily livers. Sharks have gill slits without gill cover. Eggs fertilize inside the body of the female shark instead of water. Sharks are very intelligent creatures and have a learning capacity, similar to that of rats and birds. There are about 368 species of sharks, which are divided into 30 families. The Great White Shark, the largest predatory shark, Tiger Shark, the second largest predatory shark, Mako, Hammerhead, Grey Reef Shark and Blue Shark are a few of the different species of sharks.

Zebra Sharks are one of the many species of sharks. They are also called as Leopard Sharks in Southeast Asia. They are found in the Indo-Western Pacific: South Africa to Red Sea and Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, New Caledonia, Palau. It is very common to spot a Zebra Shark on the Coral Reefs with sandy bottoms.

Zebra Sharks are classified as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Elasmobranchii
Order: Orectolobiformes
Family: Stegostomatidae
Genus: Stegostoma
species: Stegostoma fasciatum

Zebra sharks have many intriguing facts like:

• Zebra sharks can loose their strips.
• The juveniles of this species have dark bodies with yellowish stripes.
• The adults develop small dark spots on a grayish tan background. Due to this change from stripes to spots, they are often referred to as Leopard sharks.
• They are also known as "monkey-mouth sharks" in India. Zebra sharks have earned this expressive name due to the formation of 'face-like' features on the underside of their head.
• The Caudal fins of Zebra sharks is as long as their body.
• Zebra sharks have two well-defined ridges which originate from the head, run along the length of the body till the caudal fin.
• Reef mollusks and crustaceans, as well as small fish are the favorite meal of a Zebra shark.
• Zebra sharks can squirm into narrow crevices and reef channels, when searching for food due to their flexible body.
• Zebra sharks are oviparous. Female Zebra sharks lay four or more egg cases which are dark brown or purplish-black.
• Zebra sharks are not dangerous as compared to other shark species. They are slow-moving and docile creatures.
• These creatures adapt quickly to captive conditions and are kept as pets in home aquariums. A tip for Zebra shark lovers: The fish quickly outgrows the home aquarium.
• Zebra sharks can live up to 9 years in small tanks. Their lifespan increases up to 25 years in larger tanks. It is believed that Zebra sharks survive for 30 years in their natural habitat.
• Their meat is sold as fresh or dried and salted. It is also used as fishmeal. Their fins are dried for the shark-fin tail trade. Many companies process their livers for vitamins.

Zebra sharks are a stark contrast to the tiger sharks portrayed in 'Jaws'. Zebra sharks are harmless creatures, who will bite only if provoked or irritated. When you visit a public aquarium, be sure to spot these creatures. The sight of Zebra sharks will help you overcome the "Jawphobia"- that all sharks are man-eaters!