The Tropical Reef Aquarium will reopen on June 14 after extensive restoration and repair of critical animal-care structures, habitats, and life support systems. When guests walk back through the aquarium doors, they may not immediately notice those behind-the-scenes updates, but they will see new shark species, vibrant fish, and exciting new animals in a refreshed space.
Meet the sharks below!
Nurse Shark: Ginglymostoma cirratum
You can spot our nurse sharks because they love to hang out on the bottom of the Outer Reef habitat of the aquarium. Slow swimmers and bottom feeders, nurse sharks are docile unless disturbed, although they can grow to a whopping 10 feet.
Nurse sharks are found in the Atlantic from Rhode Island to Brazil and in the Pacific from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, especially in bays, estuaries, and shallow reefs.
One of the few sharks whose pups are born live (after hatching from eggs in mom’s body), nurse sharks eat small fish, crab, octopus, and other sea creatures, using their mouths like vacuums to suck prey out of crevices. They’re often found in groups of up to 30, piled on each other.
Fun fact: Nurse sharks can change color to match their surroundings, grow a new set of teeth every eight days, and have two nasal barbels (like fleshy whiskers) near their mouth, which help them feel around for prey on the ocean floor.
Blacktip Reef Shark: Carcharhinus melanopterus
Blacktip reef sharks can be spotted by their coloring: light belly and dark back, with a black fin tip. This helps camouflage them – when seen from below, they blend with the sunny ocean surface, and when seen from above, they blend with the darker ocean floor.
They’re found in tropical waters in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and eastern Mediterranean Sea, gathering inshore near coral reefs. They eat small fish, crustaceans, octopus, squid, crabs, and sea snakes, often leaping and spinning when chasing prey and hunting in groups.
Blacktip reef sharks give birth to live pups (after they hatch inside their mother’s body), which stay in a protected nursery area for their first year. Although they share shallow waters with snorkelers and scuba divers, they’re not a threat to humans.
Fun fact: Blacktip reef sharks are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, as they are often caught for their fins. It takes years for shark populations to recover from overfishing.
Look for the blacktip reef sharks in the Outer Reef habitat.
Whitetip Reef: Triaenodon obesus
Whitetip reef sharks are slender, with an extremely short, broad snout, oval eyes, and conspicuous white tips. They use their small bodies (a maximum length of 7 feet) to maneuver through crevices in coral reef habitats in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Whitetip reef sharks are nocturnal, spending their nights hunting for bottom-dwelling prey hiding in coral reefs and crevices.
Fun fact: During the day, whitetip reef sharks pile on each other, lying motionless for hours. They don’t need to move to breathe.
Look for the whitetip reef sharks in the Outer Reef habitat.
Zebra Shark: Stegostoma tigrinum
Juvenile zebra sharks hatch with white, zebra-like stripes on a dark brown background. They transition to a tan body with brown, leopard-like spots as they mature. Zebra sharks have two prominent ridges running along the flank and a long tail comprising nearly half their body length.
Zebra sharks are found in the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea, East Africa, southern Japan, western Australia, and the island of Tonga.
Fun fact: Zebra sharks are observed resting in passes and channels where tidal flow brings in oxygen-rich seawater.
Look for the zebra sharks in the Outer Reef habitat.
Gray Reef Shark: Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Gray reef sharks are among the most common reef sharks in the Indo-Pacific. They are found as far east as Easter Island and as far west as South Africa.
The grey reef shark is a fast-swimming, agile shark that feeds primarily on free-swimming bony fishes and cephalopods.
Fun fact: Adult females also form groups in very shallow water, where the higher water temperature may accelerate their growth or that of their unborn young.
Look for the gray reef sharks in the Outer Reef habitat.
Epaulette Shark: Hemiscyllium ocellatum
Look for the epaulette shark in the Lagoon near the Outer Reef.
The epaulette shark is a small, spotted shark with a blunt snout with nasal barbels. The large black-and-white spots above the pectoral fins resemble ornamental epaulettes on a military uniform and are hypothesized to be eyespots, making the animal appear larger to predators. The tail fin comprises over half of the shark’s length.
Fun fact: An active hunter in shallow water, this species increases the blood supply to its brain and selectively shuts down non-essential neural functions to cope with oxygen deprivation while foraging in isolated tide pools.
Whitespotted bamboo shark: Chiloscyllium plagiosum
Find the whitespotted bamboo shark in the Lagoon, near the Outer Reef.
The body of a whitespotted bamboo shark is stout and has dark brown stripes on a lighter brown or gray background with numerous irregular white spots. There are spiracles located below the eyes and sensory barbels located near each nostril. The pectoral fins are muscular and flexible and can be used to crawl along the bottom. This species has two dorsal fins, roughly equal in size, and set quite far back on the body.
Fun fact: Bamboo sharks have nasal barbels that look like cat whiskers near their mouths. These are sensory organs that help them locate food hidden in the sand. They are nocturnal predators and will scour the bottom for food, sucking in what they find. Their teeth are adapted for clutching soft-bodied prey and crushing hard prey. During the day, they rest in reef crevices.
Help save sharks
Sharks are beautiful creatures, and they play a crucial part in keeping ocean ecosystems in balance. Sharks are being negatively impacted by human actions worldwide. Anyone can help save sharks by learning more about them, and replacing sterotypes with enthusiasm. Choose sustainable seafood, avoid the purchase of shark products, and support and explore shark research and conservation initiatives.
Looking for hammerhead sharks? Visit our other aquarium, the Pacific Seas Aquarium!
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