All fish / Stegostomatidae

Zebra shark

Stegostoma tigrinum

Also known as leopard shark, variegated shark, stegostoma fasciatum, zebra sharks, leopard carpet shark, ฉลามเสือดาว, yu tokek, トラフザメ, hiu belimbing, hiu tokek, 豹纹鲨, 大尾虎鲛

A long carpet shark with ridges along its body and a tail fin nearly as long as the rest of the body. Young fish are dark with pale stripes, but adults turn tan or yellowish with small dark spots, so people often call them leopard sharks. Its calm nature and unusual looks make it a favourite in public aquariums.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

200 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200000 litres

Keep as

Single or a small group in a very large public aquarium system

Diet

Carnivore: molluscs, crustaceans and small bony fish, such as clams, squid, shrimp and fish pieces

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

25 to 30 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Japan, Indonesia, northern Australia and New Caledonia

Breeding

It lays large egg cases that stick to the bottom, and the young hatch after about four to six months. It breeds fairly often in public aquariums, and females kept without males have produced young by parthenogenesis.

Good to know

Adults reach about 2 to 2.5 m, so this fish is not suitable for any home aquarium, and juveniles sold in the trade quickly outgrow tanks. The IUCN lists it as Endangered; the old name Stegostoma fasciatum is now treated as a synonym of S. tigrinum.