The Zebra Shark is native to sandy reefs and coasts of tropical areas of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
A long-tailed carpet shark, it grows to around two and a half metres long, of which half is its tail fin.
It is the only species in its genus.
The name zebra relates to the young juveniles which are black and white striped. Early naturalists used to
think the more leopard-patterned adult was a separate species.
It is mainly nocturnal, resting on seabeds in the day and hunting crustaceans, molluscs and small fish by night.
It is harmless to humans but classed as endangered through overfishing.