What kind of shark is this?

[erparamedic]

Thanks for the info Jennifer!

 

[Wolfie2012]

The juvenile Zebra shark has stripes, and then as it matures they fade and change to the spots.

From http://www.marinethemes.com/zebrashark.html :

"The dark brown to black juveniles with yellowish white bars and spots gives this shark its common name. As it grows to adulthood the bars are replaced by a mosaic of dark brown spots on a yellowish to dark brown base colour; this coloration gives rise to its other common name, Leopard Shark."

 

[T-Dog]

As far as I know, the Zebra and Leopard are two totally different species. Young Zebras have stripes, that turn into spots as they mature, which is probably where the confusion comes from.

I believe you are right, they are 2 different species. Check out the links below for Leopard sharks - about 3/4 down the page. However, I don't doubt locally they would call a Zebra shark a leopard shark.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/MRD/mspcont5.html

http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?inhab=207

http://www.sandiegobikeandkayaktours.com/leopard_sharks.html

 

[divefreaky]

not u.s. costal but the georgia aquarium has some

 

[gangrel441]

It's a Zebra...A lot of people refer to them as Leopard because of their spots, but their correct name is Zebra Shark...Had several incredible encounters with them in Thailand

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but my understanding is that in the western hemisphere, we call them Zebra Shark, but in Australia, they call them Leopard Shark. Not to be confused with that little guy in the second picture, which we in the western hemisphere call Leopard Shark, and I have no idea what they call him in Australia...

 

[MarkUK]

Yeah, it is one of those situations where the same shark (or very similar species) have different names. The zebra shark is also called the leopard shark – particularly around Thailand and Myanmar.

Just like the grey nurse shark in Australia is much the same as the ragged tooth shark in South Africa, which in turn are much the same as the sand tiger off the States...

Mark

 

[alcina]

Yup, we call 'em Leopard Sharks but the locals know they are Zebra Sharks...we just don't like that name

There is also a cat shark that has spots but they are very small.

 

[Starfish18]

Its a Zebra shark also known as a leopard shark, This is because as juviniles they have stripes like a zebra, as adults they have spots like a leopard. They are however the same species.