English Name: Zebra Shark
Local Name: Faana Miyaru
Size: To 3.5 m or more
Family: STEGOSTOMATIDAE
Order: Orectolobiformes
Distinctive Characters: Long caudal fin, about half the total length. Small barbells on either side of small mouth. First dorsal set well back and much larger than second. Prominent ridges on sides of body.
Colour: Adults pale brown with dark spots. Juveniles dark brown with vertical yellow stripes.
Habitat and Biology: Found on coral reefs. A rather sluggish shark. Strictly nocturnal; feeds on molluscs, sea snakes, crustaceans and fish. Oviparous.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Remarks: Stegostoma fasciatum is not a very common shark in Maldives, but is occasionally seen resting on the bottom by divers. This shark is unaggressive when approached under water. Several individuals were taken by longline from R.V. “Farumas” (Anderson and Ahmed, 1993, p.55). Previously recorded as S. varium in the Catalogue of Fishes of the Maldives Vol. 3, page 342.