Let’s see what the encyclopedia says about Leopard Sharks: The name “leopard shark” may also be used for the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) and the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).

Ok, to make sure we are not scaring anyone off here, the tiger shark is one of the largest sharks, up to 4.3 metres in length although averaging 3.5 metres and weighing 900 kg! Lives in tropical and temperate regions, known for eating a wide range of items – anything from birds and seals up to tires or license plates. They are found all over the world but most commonly in Peru.
Their skin colour ranges from blue or green to a light underbelly. Spots and stripes are seen in young sharks but fade away as the shark matures.

So let’s rule the Tiger Shark out – luckily we don’t see him at our dive sites around Phuket very often

How about the leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) then?
It is a hound shark found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North America from Oregon to Baja California.

Oops, seems like it’s not our typical Phuket shark either.

All right, we have one more to go: the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is a common carpet shark of inshore Indo-Pacific waters notable for its very long caudal fin, nearly as long as its body.
The name zebra shark is given because as a juvenile the shark has zebra-like stripes. When it matures these stripes change to cheetah-like spots. Because of this change in its coloration, it may also be sometimes known as the leopard shark!

Here we go, now we know why
It is found at depths of about 5 to 30 metres, is more of a slow moving, slender shark and grows up to 3.5 metres long. Often seen by our Sea Bees Divers, just sitting on the sea-floor close to coral reefs.

Interesting: Unlike most types of sharks, it does not need to move to breathe, and instead rests on the bottom pumping water through its gills. It feeds on crabs and small fish, that it sucks out of the sand at night…
…well, sounds a bit more like a grazing zebra than a feeding shark to me

You can find more information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcharhiniformes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orectolobiformes