New England Aquarium Sharks

[PK]

Thought some of you might be interested in knowing that the Nurse shark is back in the giant ocean tank and the two new sand tiger pups are planned to enter the tank within the week.

Other sharks in the aquarium include sand sharks on the 3rd floor exhibit and 5-6 bamboo sharks on the 1st floor exhibit. They are not new but are often overlooked.

 

[Vin]

Whats the diffrence between the 12 foot tiger shark I dove with in Turks & Caicos and a sand tiger?

thanks
Vin

 

[MASS-Diver]

Different species - they both just happen to have the name "tiger" - that are not closely realted or anything.

 

[PK]

The two sand tiger shark pups are now in the tank. They are only 4 feet long but have doubled in size since July when we first received them. This species can get up to 10 feet long so it'll be interesting to watch them grow. Right now, they tend to swim around the top over the reef.

The nurse shark seems to be spending a lot of time in a spot on the bottom of the tank which is difficult to see from the windows. It's always interesting to see how territories change over time.

 

[Vin]

Was it the nurse shark- and now these 2- pups are next in line?

 

[PK]

The divers are the primary preditor in the tank.

I'd say that the Nurse and the two Sand Tiger sharks are the primary preditor equivalently. Next are the barracudas.

Earlier this year we had an 8 foot adult Sand Tiger shark that definately intimidated the 5 foot nurse shark. Size matters. The nurse shark and both sand tiger sharks are still growing. It'll be interesting to see the pace of their growth.

 

[Vin]

Do the divers ever need a day off?

How do I get to fill in for a day?

I have always dreamed of jumping in that tank.....


Vin

 

[PK]

Here is one way you can get a chance to dive in the GOT:

Become a member of the New England Aquarium Dive Club and be eligible for a monthly raffle to dive in the GOT. There's no guarantee you'll win a raffle but some people win during the first meeting after they become a member and others have waited for years.

Or, if you have some time to volunteer, you can help out the aquarists behind the scenes for 6 months and 180 hours. If you are an experienced diver (they'll let you know their requirements) then you can start to do volunteer work in the GOT. Some people are able to work out one day a week or every other week to help during a weekday. They tend to have a need for M-F.

 

[Vin]

My plan is to adopt one of the Pups. And then - having entered the raffle- swim with the little guy!

Vin

 

[PK]

Hi,

Correction on the list of primary preditors. The tarpon are next after sharks and before baraccuda.