Top 10 Quirkiest Sharks

By Cristen Conger, HowStuffWorks.com
 
zebra shark

Get More HSW

* Are zebras black with white stripes or white with black stripes?
* How do leopards kill animals larger than they are?
 

1. ZEBRA SHARKS: 

Ironically, adult zebra sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum) look more like leopards than their striped equine namesake. That explains why the gray and black fish are called leopard sharks in their native southern Asia. When young, the tawny shark pups have white spots and stripes, which is where their Western "zebra" misnomer comes from. As they mature, however, the stripes gradually disappear.

The mid-sized fish isn't as imposing as its great white cousins, growing to maximum of 7.7 feet (2.35 meters) long, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Since they're highly adaptable, this species shows up in many aquariums as well.
 
advertisement

On TV

May 28,
9:00 am
60 min(s)
Deadliest Catch
Birds, Bones and Blood

As another winter storm rips through the crab grounds, the Rambli
May 28,
10:00 am
60 min(s)
Deadliest Catch
It's Not All Mai Tais and Yahtzee

A loose pot turns into a half-ton wrecking ball on the Kodiak, wh
May 28,
11:00 am
60 min(s)
Deadliest Catch
Pirate School

A captain and deckhand clash on the Cornelia Marie over a crippli
May 28,
12:00 pm
60 min(s)
Deadliest Catch
The Island

The treacherous waters off St. Paul Island make offloading crab i
May 28,
1:00 pm
60 min(s)
Deadliest Catch
I Smell a Nightmare

As Opilio season winds down, two exhausted crewmen on the Time Ba
 
newsletter
 
 

our sites

video

 

mobile

shop

stay connected

corporate

Image Credits DCL | AP Photo/Heribert Proepper

Copyright © 2012 Discovery Communications, LLC. The number-one nonfiction media company.