What is "zebra shark"

Tiger \Ti"ger\, n. [OE. tigre, F. tigre, L. tigris, Gr. ti`gris; probably of Persian origin; cf. Zend tighra pointed, tighri an arrow, Per. t[=i]r; perhaps akin to E. stick, v. t.; -- probably so named from its quickness.]

1. A very large and powerful carnivore ( Felis tigris) native of Southern Asia and the East Indies. Its back and sides are tawny or rufous yellow, transversely striped with black, the tail is ringed with black, the throat and belly are nearly white. When full grown, it equals or exceeds the lion in size and strength. Called also royal tiger, and Bengal tiger.

2. Fig.: A ferocious, bloodthirsty person.

   As for heinous tiger, Tamora.
   --Shak.

3. A servant in livery, who rides with his master or mistress.
   --Dickens.

4. A kind of growl or screech, after cheering; as, three cheers and a tiger. [Colloq. U. S.]

5. A pneumatic box or pan used in refining sugar. American tiger. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The puma.

   2. The jaguar.

      Clouded tiger (Zo["o]l.), a handsome striped and spotted carnivore ( Felis macrocelis or Felis marmorata) native of the East Indies and Southern Asia. Its body is about three and a half feet long, and its tail about three feet long. Its ground color is brownish gray, and the dark markings are irregular stripes, spots, and rings, but there are always two dark bands on the face, one extending back from the eye, and one from the angle of the mouth. Called also tortoise-shell tiger.

      Mexican tiger (Zo["o]l.), the jaguar.

      Tiger beetle (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of active carnivorous beetles of the family Cicindelid[ae]. They usually inhabit dry or sandy places, and fly rapidly.

      Tiger bittern. (Zo["o]l.) See Sun bittern, under Sun.

      Tiger cat (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of wild cats of moderate size with dark transverse bars or stripes somewhat resembling those of the tiger.

      Tiger flower (Bot.), an iridaceous plant of the genus Tigridia (as Tigridia conchiflora, Tigridia grandiflora, etc.) having showy flowers, spotted or streaked somewhat like the skin of a tiger.

      Tiger grass (Bot.), a low East Indian fan palm ( Cham[ae]rops Ritchieana). It is used in many ways by the natives.
      --J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

      Tiger lily. (Bot.) See under Lily.

      Tiger moth (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of moths of the family Arctiad[ae] which are striped or barred with black and white or with other conspicuous colors. The larv[ae] are called woolly bears.

      Tiger shark (Zo["o]l.), a voracious shark ( Galeocerdo tigrinus syn. Galeocerdo maculatus) more or less barred or spotted with yellow. It is found in both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Called also zebra shark.

      Tiger shell (Zo["o]l.), a large and conspicuously spotted cowrie ( Cypr[ae]a tigris); -- so called from its fancied resemblance to a tiger in color and markings. Called also tiger cowrie.

      Tiger snake (Zo["o]l.), either of two very venomous snakes of Tasmania and Australia, Notechis scutatis and Notechis ater, which grow up to 5 feet in length.

      Tiger wolf (Zo["o]l.), the spotted hyena ( Hy[ae]na crocuta).

      Tiger wood, the variegated heartwood of a tree ( Mach[ae]rium Schomburgkii) found in Guiana.

n. a carpet shark, ''Stegostoma fasciatum'', covered in black and white stripes resembling a zebra.

''This species is sometimes called the leopard shark, a name otherwise used for '' Triakis semifasciata.

The zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is a species of carpet shark and the sole member of the family Stegostomatidae. It is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, frequenting coral reefs and sandy flats to a depth of . Adult zebra sharks are distinctive in appearance, with five longitudinal ridges on a cylindrical body, a low caudal fin comprising nearly half the total length, and a pattern of dark spots on a pale background. Young zebra sharks under 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 .

Zebra sharks are nocturnal and spend most of the day resting motionless on the sea floor. At night, they actively hunt for molluscs, crustaceans, small bony fishes, and possibly sea snakes inside holes and crevices in the reef. Though solitary for most of the year, they form large seasonal aggregations. The zebra shark is oviparous: females produce several dozen large egg capsules, which they anchor to underwater structures via adhesive tendrils. Innocuous to humans and hardy in captivity, zebra sharks are popular subjects of ecotourism dives and public aquaria. The World Conservation Union has assessed this species as Vulnerable worldwide, as it is taken by commercial fisheries across most of its range (except off Australia) for meat, fins, and liver oil. There is evidence that its numbers are dwindling.