I found online from FishBase and an old YouTube Video that the aquarium in Cairns sent a pair of Speartooth Sharks (Glyphis glyphis) to the Melbourne Aquarium. Have any ZooChatters seen them, and are they still at the aquarium, or is this species still in captivity anywhere? I'd like to see photos and videos of the tank setup for this rare freshwater shark.
There were three Speartooth Sharks, obtained in 2009. They are long gone now. The tank they were in was called the Lagoon tank and also held Freshwater Sawfish amongst other fish. Photo below by @Hix from 2010: South-East Asian Lagoon - ZooChat This tank is no longer there either - it was removed to make way for a Saltwater Crocodile tank. I visited the aquarium in 2007 before the Speartooth Sharks were there (the above tank held Elephant Fish at that time), and then again in 2014 at which time the sharks were gone and the tank replaced with the crocodile exhibit.
Well that's incredibly disappointing, I always wanted to see the sharks here as I thought they were a permanent display. Where were the three individuals sent off to? ~Thylo
No idea. At the time I thought they may have been moved to the main marine tank when the Lagoon was removed, but I have a feeling they actually had died by then. They haven't been listed as a holding since SeaLife took the aquarium over, and as far as I know there were / are no others on show in Australia.
There was a juvenile on show somewhere in the Northern Territory. I remember it from watching Monster Fish.
I haven't seen the programme but I did find a clip from it. Dion Wedd, who was with the host when they were out setting nets for the sharks, is from the Territory Wildlife Park (he is involved in the conservation of the various river sharks and rays up there, so it is not necessarily the case that the park holds any individuals).
Actually I was going through photos from my 2018 visit to Sea Life Melbourne and came across an odd-looking shark that was photographed in the ocean tunnel. I sent the photo to the aquarium yesterday seeking an identification and they just got back to me saying it was one of their female Speartooth Sharks [Speartooth Shark (Glyphis glyphis) December 2018 - ZooChat]! I am now waiting for a response to see if they are still at the aquarium currently. Edit: Just received a response- the Speartooth Sharks are still at the aquarium!
I had a sneaking suspicion that they were still there but when I saw this thread I thought they had gone but turns out they were there all this time.
That's great news - but now I am wondering why they don't record them on their census as being present if they have actually still had them this whole time ....
Oh sorry, I just realised that I made a mistake. I thought speartooth sharks were the same thing as sawfish. I only just realised.
Sorry for replying to an old thread, but I found some pictures from the Melbourne Aquarium from when I was there in 2018, and I found some pictures I took of their speartooth sharks. I didn't know what they were at the time and the only two pictures I took were very grainy.
As for the exhibit they were in, it was the oceanarium. I hear they used to be kept in one of their freshwater exhibits but grew too large for it and were moved.
OMG I'm so sorry, that's not a pic of the spearooth! That's the sandbar shark! My bad. All the pics I took that I thought were the speartooths were actually sandbar sharks!
Two years on, I wanted to check with Sea Life Melbourne to find out what the current status on the Speartooth Sharks was to avoid potential disappointment especially if some members on here are starting to plan international/domestic trips and this species was one of their targets to see. Fortunately after a quick message to the aquarium, I can confirm that there are still two Speartooth Sharks as of September 2022 at Sea Life Melbourne. They are approximately between the ages of 10 and 15 and can be found in the main oceanarium.
