Family Stegastomatidae Stegostoma fasciatum Zebra Sharks Family Stegastomatidae Stegostoma fasciatum

Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class chondrichthyes Order Orectolobiformes Family Stegastomatidae Genus Stegostoma species fasiatum

Anatomical characteristics of the family Broad low caudal fin as long as body Ridges running down body Mouth in front of eyes, large spiracles Barbels Anal fin close to tail As juvenile has stripes change to spots as adult a.k.a. “leopard sharks” 3.5 m long

Genetics DNA, taken from fin clips, sequenced and found to be different from other orectolobid sharks Confirmed placement in own family

Habitat Indian ocean Western pacific E. Africa to Japan Coral reefs; intertidal 5 to 60 m deep nocturnal Red list-vulnerable Used for aquaria

Feeding Mollusks (bivalves, gastropods) Crustaceans (crabs, shrimp) Small bony fish Slow moving Sits on bottom Sucks food out of sand

Reproduction Oviparous Dark brown egg case anchored with fibers Hatch 20-26 cm Young have “zebra” stripes Thought to be a reversal to egg-laying Unique compared to evolutionary trend

Literature cited Compagno, L., M. Dando, and S. Fowler. 2005. Sharks of the world. Princeton University press, princeton, NJ. Pp 173-174. Dudgeon CL, Feldheim K, Schick M, et a. 2006. Polymorphic microsatellite loci for the zebra shark Stegostoma Fasciatum. MOLECULAR ECOLOGY NOTES 6 (4): 1086-1088 DEC Dulvy NK, Reynolds JD. 1997. Evolutionary transitions among egg- laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Evolutionary. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 264 (1386): 1309-1315