Sharks
Leopard (Zebra) Shark
Stegostoma tigrinum · Cartilaginous fish — family Stegostomatidae
Finding a zebra shark on a sand flat feels like a gift: two meters of pale gold scattered with dark leopard rosettes, ridged like carved wood, motionless but wide awake, gills pulsing. It tolerates a careful diver at close range longer than almost any large shark, which made it a photographic staple across Thailand and the Coral Triangle — and made its decline conspicuous when nets emptied region after region. Thailand's Similans remain a stronghold, and Australia's east coast hosts famous seasonal gatherings. Watching one finally lift off, tail rippling like a ribbon in wind, is the quiet highlight of many trips.
Wo und wann man eines sieht
„Resident" bedeutet, dass die meisten Tauchgänge am jeweiligen Tauchziel eine Begegnung erwarten lassen; „saisonal" bedeutet, dass die Art in den genannten Monaten zuverlässig anzutreffen ist; alles andere ist ein Bonus, keine Planungsgrundlage.
| Ziel | Zuverlässigkeit | Monate | Hinweise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Similan Islands & Richelieu RockThailand | Resident — seen on most dives | Oct–May | |
| Cairns & the Ribbon ReefsAustralia | Occasional | Ganzjährig | |
| Raja AmpatIndonesia | Occasional | Ganzjährig | |
| Koh TaoThailand | Occasional | Ganzjährig |
Bester Monat auf einen Blick
| Monat | Zuverlässige Reiseziele |
|---|---|
| January | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| February | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| March | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| April | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| May | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| June | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| July | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| August | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| September | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| October | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| November | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
| December | Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock · Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Raja Ampat · Koh Tao |
Sie verstehen
Lebensraum: Sandy patches beside coral reefs; rests on the bottom by day facing into current, hunts the reef at night
Verbreitung: Tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea through Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific
Verhalten: A gentle, torpid daytime resident, propped on its pectorals on sand with its ridged, spotted body in plain view. Adults wear leopard spots but hatch as striped 'zebras' — the source of the naming muddle between Indo-Pacific 'leopard' usage and Australia's 'zebra shark'. Swims with an eel-like wriggle when disturbed.
Ernährung: Mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, and sea snakes, extracted from crevices with a flexible, wriggling body
Größe: typischerweise rund 2.0 m; dokumentiert bis zu 2.5 m (total length, nearly half of it a long, low tail).
Wie man sich in ihrer Nähe verhält
Approach a resting shark low and from the front-side, stop outside touching distance, and leave before it bolts — repeated flushing burns the animal's energy and empties the site for everyone after you.
Naturschutz
Endangered — inshore gillnetting has emptied much of Southeast Asia's habitat. A coalition of aquariums and scientists is now rewilding captive-bred pups in Raja Ampat, one of the first shark reintroduction programs anywhere.
Bekannte Tauchplätze dafür
Ansehen
Aus den offiziellen Kanälen
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Videos sind eingebettete Links zu den Kanälen der jeweiligen Ersteller – wir hosten nichts und geben für alles die Quelle an.