White-Spotted Bamboo Shark
[ Chiloscyllium plagiosum ]
Quick Facts
| BODY LENGTH: |
male: 1.5 to 2.5 feet; female: 3 to 3.5 feet |
| WEIGHT: |
|
|
WILD DIET:
|
bony fish and crustaceans
|
| ZOO DIET: |
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| DISTRIBUTION: |
Madagascar, India, and Southeast Asia as far south as Java, and east to Japan |
| HABITAT: |
coral reefs |
Magic Carpet Shark
Now you see me…
Like nurse sharks, white-spotted bamboo sharks belong to the animal family known as orectolobiformes. Commonly called "carpet sharks," because of markings which resemble carpet-like patterns, these creatures can skillfully (almost magically) glide between coral branches and hide in narrow reef structures
Super Mom?
A female white-spotted bamboo shark at Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit, Michigan, was the first recorded of her species to have a clutch of fertile eggs without fertilization. She had not been in contact with a male for six years, and scientists have been exploring the possibility that some sharks may be able to reproduce parthenogenetically, a mode of reproduction by which the egg is not fertilized.
White-spotted bamboo sharks at Brookfield Zoo
Stingray Bay is home to a group of white-spotted bamboo sharks at Brookfield Zoo. The visiting exhibit, which will stay open during the summer of 2008, swims away on Labor Day. So, don’t miss your chance to get an intimate look at these amazing animals.
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