A lot of light brown spots cover the body. Juveniles have zebra like stripes and many people call them Zebra sharks. The sandy color gives them incredible camouflage. As I mentioned above, they are difficult to discern from a distance because of the similarity in color to sand. The tail fin has strong side ways grooves and is enormous, fully half the length of its body.
Gills are very large and well spaced.
The pectoral fins are very broad, typical of a shark designed for saving energy by gliding the maximum distance possible. They congregate around Christmas time at Cook Island each year. After mating a large round egg case is deposited on the sea floor. Like a lot of bottom dwelling sharks, they make a habit of sitting very still on the sand and waiting for prey to come close enough to catch. This is a more energy efficient way to find food.