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 Indo-Pacific leopard shark
Zebra sharks don't have to swim to breathe. They rest on the reef floor with their mouths open and throat muscles pumping water across their gills. 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.
Did you know?
- Many sharks give birth to live young, but some like the zebra shark lay eggs. From 2004 – 2014 101 zebra sharks have been hatched here through our robust breeding program.
- Over the years we have placed the pups hatched through our breeding program at 17 different zoos and aquariums across the country.
- The sharks and rays living in this habitat receive regular training from the aquarists. Many of them respond to visual and auditory cues that signal meal times.
- Sometimes you might see the zebra sharks sitting still. Unlike some sharks that must constantly swim, zebra sharks use special cheek muscles to pump water and oxygen over their gills.
- Yes, this “zebra” has spots. Not to be confused with a leopard shark, the zebra shark starts its life covered with stripes. But as adults their stripes fade into spots.
- This species is part of AZA’s SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) species project. Together with conservation experts, we are working to identify and prioritize conservation actions to prevent the forever loss of these species.
- Zebra sharks get their name from how they look as pups - dark with stripes that help them hide for protection.
- Zebra shark pups hatch after more than five months growing in the leathery egg case the mother lays.
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.
About Those Spots
"Zebra" is a strange name for these spotted sharks — until you see the striped pups. 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 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, zebras 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.