The Life of Animals | Zebra shark | The zebra shark Occurs in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, from South Africa to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf (including Madagascar and the Maldives), to India and Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Palau), northward to Taiwan and Japan, Eastward to New Caledonia and Tonga, and southward to northern Australia. Adults and large juveniles frequent coral reefs, rubble, and sandy areas. There are unsubstantiated reports of this species from fresh water in the Philippines Zebra sharks Sometimes cross oceanic waters to reach isolated seamounts. Movements of up to 140 km (87 mi) have been recorded for shark However the individual, genetic data indicates there is little exchange That the between Populations of zebra sharks, even if Their ranges are contiguous The zebra shark has a cylindrical body with a large, slightly flattened head and a short, blunt snout.
The dorsal midline ridge merges into the first dorsal fin, placed about Halfway along the body and twice the size of the second dorsal fin. The pectoral fins are large and broad; the pelvic and anal fins are much larger but Smaller than the second dorsal fin. The zebra shark attains a length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft), with an unsubstantiated record of 05.03 m (11.5 ft). Males and females are not dimorphic in size The color pattern in young sharks is dark brown above and light yellow below, with vertical yellow stripes and spots. As the shark grows to 50-90 cm (20-35 in) long, the dark areas begin to break up, changing the general pattern from light-on-dark stripes to dark-on-light spots.
The shark, a 1.9 m (6.2 ft) long mature female, was unusual in That albino animals rarely survive long in the wild due to Their lack of crypsis Zebra sharks are usually solitary, though aggregations of 20-50 individuals have been recorded off Southeast Queensland, aggregations of zebra sharks Several hundred forms every summer in shallow water.
There is an observation of an adult male zebra shark biting the pectoral fin of another adult male and pushing him against the sea floor; the second male was turned on his back, and remained motionless for Several hours. This behavior resembles the pre-copulatory behaviors the between male and female sharks, and in Both cases the biting and holding of the pectoral fin has been speculated to relate to one shark asserting dominance over the other.
Docile and slow-moving, zebra sharks are not dangerous to Humans and can be easily approached underwater. Many zebra sharks at dive sites have Become accustomed to the presence of Humans, taking food from divers' hands and allowing themselves to be Touched. The zebra shark adapts well to captivity and is displayed by a number of public aquaria around the world. Furthermore, the liver oil is used for vitamins, the fins for shark fin soup, and the offal for Fishmeal.
