Zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark)
| Diet | Feeds primarily on mollusks such as snails and clams in the wild. They may eat fish opportunistically as well |
|---|---|
| Size | Length: Average adult length is 7 1/2 feet (230 cm). Pups hatch at an average length of 11 inches (28 cm) and weight an average of 3.4 ounces (97 gm) at birth |
| Type | Sharks & Rays |
| Range | Inshore along continental shelves over sandy and coral sea bottoms in the Indian and West-Central Pacific Oceans |
| Habitat | Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Indian and west central Pacific; sandy, rubbly bottoms around coral reefs and off continental shelves |
About the Zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark)
Zebra sharks (Indo-Pacific leopard sharks) are slow-swimming reef sharks that don't have to swim to breathe. They sometimes rest on the reef floor with their mouths open and throat muscles pumping water across their gills.
Did you know?
Many sharks give birth to live young, but some like the zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark) lay eggs. The eggs and leathery egg casings have the nickname "mermaid's purse."
While adults are spotted, the pups start life with zebra-like dark and light bands on their long tails, making them look like venomous snakes to predators.
IUCN Red List Conservation Status
Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Plan®
This species is part of a program to support healthy, genetically diverse animal populations.
Saving An Endangered Shark Species, One Pup at a Time
Shedd is one of the founding partners in ReShark, an international collective dedicated to shark and ray rewilding and conservation. As part of its inaugural StAR project, endangered zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark) pups are raised and released in Raja Ampat, Indonesia to bolster the population in their native range. In 2026, for the first time, Shedd sent four eggs across the world to contribute to this important conservation effort.
Healthy populations of zebra sharks are essential to maintain thriving ecosystems in the Indian and west-central Pacific Oceans. But zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark) populations have quickly and dramatically declined due to habitat degradation, overharvesting and finning. Zebra sharks (Indo-Pacific leopard sharks), like many shark species, take years to reach sexual maturity which slows populations from naturally growing.
Shedd experts, including members of our Conservation Research and Animal Care teams, have lent their decades of expertise in the breeding, hatching, raising and post-release monitoring of zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark) pups to develop the project and train the dedicated team of in-country caretakers and research scientists.
About Those Spots
Zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark) pups don't look like the adults at all! The dark-and-light bands on their long tails mimic the markings of venomous sea snakes, making predators steer clear of the otherwise edible 8- to 14-inch pups. As the sharks grow — to lengths of 7 to 8 feet — the dark bands break up into hundreds of small spots on a light background, camouflaging adults against a reef floor of coral sand or rubble.
A Fresh Seafood Diet — Vitamins Included
At Shedd, the zebra sharks (Indo-Pacific leopard sharks) are fed a diet of squid, clams and a variety of fish. They are also given a multivitamin that’s often tucked into a “fish burrito” — a fish stuffed inside a squid — that helps keep them healthy. In the wild, these animals are nocturnal hunters. Slow, slim and sinuous, they can squirm into crevices and small caves in the coral. Then, like vacuum cleaners, they suck in snails and clams, along with crabs, shrimp and small fishes, all of which they crush with their powerful teeth.
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Meet the Sharks
From reef sharks in constant motion to small deep-ocean sharks resting vertically on a rock wall, these awe-inspiring predators are found across our ocean — and throughout Shedd Aquarium. Elegantly slicing through the water, each is different from the next, but all display an eye-catching mixture of beauty and grace. Look closer at the sharks that call Shedd home.