Marine Life

Zebra shark, Variegated shark

Faana miyaru

Stegostoma fasciatum

Stegostoma fasciatum is not a very common shark in the Maldives, but it is occasionally seen resting on the bottom by divers. This shark is unaggressive when approached underwater, and several individuals were taken by longline from the R.V. “Farumas” (Anderson and Ahmed, 1993, p. 55). It was previously recorded as S. varium in the Catalogue of Fishes of the Maldives Vol. 3, page 342.

Details

§ 01

size: To 3.5 m or more
color: Adults pale brown with dark spots. Juveniles dark brown with vertical yellow stripes.
order: Orectolobiformes
family: Stegostomatidae
image url: https://assets.explore.mv/fishes/stegostoma-fasciatum.png
habitat and biology: The Shark is located on coral reefs and is quite slow-moving. It is only active at night and consumes mollusks, sea snakes, crustaceans, and fish. This species reproduces by laying eggs.
distinctive characters: The fish has a long caudal fin, which is about half of its total length, small barbells on either side of its small mouth, a first dorsal fin set well back and much larger than the second, and prominent ridges on the sides of its body.