Zebra shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the zebra shark lives – recorded in 7 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Stegostoma fasciatum
Group	Sharks
Found in	7 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Oceania
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Orectolobiformes
Family	Stegostomatidae

Where does the zebra shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the zebra shark in 7 countries and territories across Africa, Asia and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: New Guinea.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the zebra shark?

The zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Orectolobiformes and the family Stegostomatidae, genus Stegostoma. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the zebra shark

The zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum), also known as the Indo-Pacific leopard shark, is a species of carpet shark and the only extant member of the family Stegostomatidae. It is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, frequenting coral reefs and sandy flats to a depth of 62 m (200 ft). Zebra sharks are distinctive in appearance, with adults possessing five longitudinal ridges on a cylindrical body, a low caudal fin comprising nearly half the total length, and typically a pattern of dark spots on a pale background. Young zebra sharks under 50–90 cm (20–35 in) long have a completely different pattern, consisting of light vertical stripes on a brown background, and lack the ridges. This species attains a length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Zebra shark (revision 1368832399), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q169468 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).