#triakidae

Though most sharks sport a characteristic toothy grin, not all species can flash a set of pearly whites. The leopard shark, which is primarily a bottom-feeder that predates on clams and crustaceans, has overlapping ridges between different tooth rows, which creates a flatter ridged surface that they can use to crush their prey with.

(Image: A leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) being released as part of a study, by Kyle McBurnie

LEOPARD SHARK

Look at this magnificent creature! The lovely shape and even lovelier pattern! This gorgeous (mostly) nocturnal being can get up to 2.13 meters long (7 feet), but pose virtually no threat to humans, so you don't have to fear them.

The leopard shark diet consists of things like crabs, fish eggs, and innkeeper worms when young. As the sharks get older, they start eating more fish and less crabs.

They're found along the Pacific coast of North America, from Oregon, US, to Mazatlán, Mexico.

Photo by Andy Murch | Info

In order from top to bottom (not including my man Bernie Sanders):

Stegostoma tigrinum (Orectolobiformes; Stegostomatidae):

Triakis semifasciata (Carcharhiniformes; Triakidae):

Poroderma pantherinum (Carcharhiniformes; Scyliorhinidae):

Idk which parts of the world you are referring to, but this should illustrate how dumb common names are, whether you are correct or not.

Here, we have S. tigrinum, which looks like a cheetah when it is an adult, but is called a zebra shark (reflecting its striping as a juvenile).

T. semifasciata, which looks like a tiger, but is called a leopard shark (children and adults at aquariums oft call T. semifasciata "tiger sharks").

P. pantherinum, which looks like a leopard and is in the catshark family, and its common name reflects that pleasingly.

Honorable mentions to Helaelurus natalensis (Carcharhiniformes; Scyliorhinidae) for being called a tiger catshark, for being in the catshark family and looking like a tiger.

To Galeocerdo cuvier (Carcharhiniformes; Carcharhinidae) for looking like a tiger and a leopard, but being called a tiger shark.

And to Poroderma africanum (Carcharhiniformes; Scyliorhinidae) for looking like a zebra and being a catshark, but instead breaks free from a common name comparing it to existing land species, and being called, instead, the pyjama catshark.

i have a separate blog for that so i don’t have to reblog it here :o)