Have shark collections and exhibits hit their limit?

Actually, I was thinking about Heteronotia binoei.



Hix

 

Earlier on this thread I mentioned Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey as having 16 species of shark but interestingly enough Shark Reef Aquarium in Nevada also has 16 species in their collection. They advertise as being one of only 3 North American aquariums with Scalloped Hammerheads, plus in the big main tank (1.3 million gallons) there are many types of sharks that can grow to 5 feet or larger in size: Sand Tiger Shark, Sandbar Shark, Gray Reef Shark, White Tip Reef Shark, Nurse Shark, Zebra Shark and the rarely exhibited Galapagos Shark. Green Sawfish complete a collection of impressively-sized fish and I'm eager to visit the facility this August.

On a side note, Shark Reef Aquarium also heavily promotes its Golden Crocodiles (apparently they are hybrids of Saltwater and Siamese Crocodiles).

 

These are the sharks I have seen do well in captivity:

blacktip reef shark
bonnet head shark
epaulette shark
leopard shark
sand tiger shark
sand bar shark
swell shark
whitetiped reef shark
zebra shark
bowmouth guitarfish
brown banded bamboo shark
giant guitarfish
longcomb sawfish
whitespotted bamboo shark

Also, you could argue that whale sharks do okay in captivity, but I think thats currently a big debate.

 

Why would you want to go to a place that breeds an endangered species with a common one? Surely there are laws against that?

~ Thaumatibis

 

They didn't breed them. They were imported from a farm in Asia. The golden factor attracts people looking to win big in a gambling mecca. All a marketing ploy.


I would like to see more Bull Sharks like in Oklahoma. They ars able to be used in a variety of geographical exhibits due to their ranges. Being able to survive in fresh a d saltwater is another cool aspect. They could do well in an African exhibit alongside (separated) Nile Crocs and others. Even an Oz exhibit with Salties and freshies. All separated of course. It beats the normal shark reef that everyone copies with the same old sharks. This is purely Zoonerd wishing. Most visitors do not care. A shark is a shark. If Great Whites and Whale Sharks were more common and able to be kept, would draw more. Even Tiger or the various Hammerheads. Visitors relate to the newsworthy ones that kill. Nurse sharks and Sand Tiger don't evoke the same appeal.

 

I had an idea for a Australia area with bull sharks, crocs, Queensland grouper, sawfish, speartooth sharks, etc. It would be a nice exhibit. Maybe I should post it on design a exhibit?

~ Thaumatibis

 

Do Bull Sharks generally do well?

 

ZooElephantsMan, as I mentioned on the previous page of this thread: Yes, bull sharks do quite well and are largely comparable to other Carcharhinus that have been kept. Even the relatively few attempts with the oceanic whitetip and Galapagos, which both are essentially pelagic, suggest that their keeping doesn't differ hugely from other Carcharhinus. That basically means that they can be kept without huge problems in big tanks, while pelagics from other genera like blue and mako still appear impossible.

Regarding the aggressiveness of bulls that was asked about in an earlier post: They appear to fall into the category of many other larger sharks kept in captivity, i.e. they show a level of "personality" that perhaps is unexpected in fish. That basically means that some specimens are largely unproblematic, while others of the same species have a less friendly demeanor and this may change with age. This is shown well by the aquarium that has the most experience with the species, Okinawa. The bull that currently has the record for longest in captivity, "grandad" (because he is the grandad of the 2nd generation bred there) who've lived at Okinawa in c. 40 years, falls into the "less friendly" category and has had to be kept alone. Other Okinawa bulls have lived long-term in their predatory tank mixed with other large, robust cartilaginous fish (tiger, sicklefin lemon, sandbar, bowmouth guitarfish, etc) without major issues.

I would be hesitant in keeping bulls long-term in full freshwater conditions, as this doesn't match what typically can be seen in the wild (mainly a marine and brackish water species that visits pure freshwater, even if sometimes for extended periods). In contrast, I've often wondered if the common aka large-tooth sawfish should be kept in freshwater for better chance of breeding. In the wild, I'm not aware of any documented cases of these completing their lifecycle in saltwater conditions. Based on the few available studies of their wild behavior all spend the first part of their life in pure fresh or brackish water. Adults may stay there without ever moving to saltwater. There aren't many aquariums with big enough freshwater tanks, but they do exist. Perhaps it could even be mixed with manatees? After all, sawfish have been documented far up the Amazon and the typical manatee exhibit tries to replicate this habitat (with Caribbean manatees, but still). Sawfish sometimes act aggressively towards sharks in the same tank, but this is apparently an anti-predatory behavior. It is therefore less likely to be aimed at slow and unthreatening manatees.

 

There is a video of a guy swimming and feeding bull sharks without protection here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrkkQO9zVfA

He is a professional who does this for a living and is really smart and so its not like some idiot without knowing anything about sharks or whatever.

 

That reminds me of a shark researcher who walked into shallow water to show that bull sharks are entirely misunderstood for a Discovery program. He was bitten (he was ultimately ok, but only after a lot of stitches in the leg). Don't misunderstand me, the dangers posed by sharks are greatly exaggerated and it's not like any species of shark is just waiting for a human to come along so it can attack. In most cases even the species with multiple well-documented attacks will ignore humans. But no matter how "expert" someone may be (or claim to be) knowingly placing yourself next to a top predator like a bull shark does represent a real risk. The risk is small, but it is certainly there. Even an investigatory bite from big bull shark can kill, shark suit or not. The potential backlash if one of these "experts" was killed makes these actions questionable. I think it's far better to have a realistic level of respect (not fear!) for animals like a bull shark than pretend they essentially are harmless and good dive buddies.

 

... and it hasn't changed. After several years without attempts anywhere, the just opened Sendai Umi-no-mori Aquarium in Japan tried blue. It was another failure with the species, but based on what I've heard they may well try again. I'm sceptical, but do hope it eventually will turn out like e.g. tiger shark and whale shark (initial attemps had very little success, now kept for years without major problems). The tank at Sendai Umi-no-mori is subtropical/warm temperate, which is blue's preferred temperature and probably raises the chance of eventual success.

 

Many thanks for the very interesting remark regarding blue sharks, @temp. It's information like this that still draws me to ZooChat.

I doubt that Macaw16 is a) a pleomorphic being and b) needs you as duty solicitor. As previously mentioned, TV shows usually don't suffice as a reliable source of information, thanks to the quality of modern journalism and media; Chli's experience only confirms this.
I don't deny the possibility of parthenogensis in this genus; I just would like it to be correctly verified.

 

Rare Exhibit of Adult Great White Shark Starts at Japan Aquarium - Japan Real Time - WSJ

An aquarium in Okinawa has taken in an adult great white shark. They had him on display for a bit, but it seems he hasn't been doing so well so he's not on display anymore.

If they wanted to work on displaying great white sharks, you'd think they'd take in a juvenile where there's been some success, rather than an adult shark.

 

Termination of Great White Shark exhibition

Shark died already. That was faster than I expected.

 

Except for very few locations around the world, that's not really a choice. Juveniles have only been recorded regularly at a few locations. Everywhere else they only turn up very rarely and at completely random intervals. The regular places are all in countries that are unlikely to ever send a shark elsewhere (arguably good, but that's a separate discussion). I also doubt this species is a good "shipper", i.e. would survive a long-term flight. For now locally caught is the only even remotely realistic possibility.

One of the few places where juvenile white sharks are recorded regularly is off California. In other words, Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the few aquariums in the world with regular access to juvenile white sharks nearby.

It is also my understanding that there was no active fishing for white shark at Okinawa; it basically just turned up in a net. Same way goblin, frilled and other rarely exhibited sharks usually turn up.

Too bad they didn't pull it off. Very few aquariums around the world can match Okinawa's experience in shark keeping, but it evidently didn't help in this case.

In any case it isn't true that all captive great whites have been <2 m as the article claims. A few have been in the 2-3 m range, as well as a single that was about 4 m, but only the Monterey Bay juveniles (all <2 m) were kept for a longer period. Others were only in captivity for a few days. The famous 2.3 m kept at Manly Marineland in 1968 could potentially have survived for a longer period as it had started feeding and seemed to be doing ok, but it was culled after 10 days. Let's just say that the general public and aquariums had a very different approach to sharks back then!!

 

Adventure Aquarium does have a great hammerhead shark. They also have some fairly large sharks such as silky sharks and zebra sharks.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8LAPfETvCY This video shows a Goblin shark and a Frilled Shark at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, Japan. A member of staff at the aquarium discovered the sharks when accompanying fishermen on Jan. 5. 2016.

Also this video shows another aquarium with many goblin sharks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUSbU9QJbns

 

The animals that have been found living in the ocean will never cease to amaze me.