SeaMonster at Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo?

[jagfish]

My wife posted on the YouTube comments the following :

Hi Jim! Yes... That's definitely a Sand Tiger shark. Not sure why it's mouth is so deformed. But, what I am sure of is that shark was completely asleep when that video was shot. I was a volunteer diver at an aquarium for 8 years and it was very common for sand tigers to circle slowly like that over divers when they were asleep. Another indication of that is the gaping of it's mouth. When sharks sleep, they swim very slowly and gape their mouths. The shark is gaping is mouth and literally "gasping for breath" trying to keep itself oxygenated enough since it's not swimming fast enough to push enough water across it's gills to keep oxygenated. The shark is in a "semi conscious" state, basically kind of like sleep walking.

This is just my own personal theory, but I think our exhalations attract them somehow while they are sleeping. I did "dive shows" regularly at the aquarium while scuba diving with a communication mask on. And there would be a live audience that I would interact with and answer their questions about the sharks, conservation, etc. It was very common to see sharks sleeping and behaving in this manner and they would oftentimes hover over us why diving when they were sleeping.

At no time were the divers actually in any danger of being "eaten alive"... It's a very harmless encounter.

I saw this. Was great to have her insightful comment...Tammy, right?

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Fish that have been in an aquarium for a period of time commonly develop a series of ailments that we don't see in nature.

One of the reasons I don't enjoy aquaria anymore -- the other is that, like zoos, I never see them give the animals enough space. How big would that shark's home range be in the wild?

 

[Pressurehead]

Grey nurse in Australia. Labradors of the sea



View attachment 651607

Great shot.
The biggest of this species I have seen was under a thermocline at 30m off Wolf Rock Queensland, the most in one area was South West Rocks NSW, years ago it Magic Point off Sydney [that was 30+ years ago].
Thanks for the memories of great dives with them.

 

[Raphus]

My wife posted on the YouTube comments the following :

Hi Jim! Yes... That's definitely a Sand Tiger shark. Not sure why it's mouth is so deformed. But, what I am sure of is that shark was completely asleep when that video was shot. I was a volunteer diver at an aquarium for 8 years and it was very common for sand tigers to circle slowly like that over divers when they were asleep. Another indication of that is the gaping of it's mouth. When sharks sleep, they swim very slowly and gape their mouths. The shark is gaping is mouth and literally "gasping for breath" trying to keep itself oxygenated enough since it's not swimming fast enough to push enough water across it's gills to keep oxygenated. The shark is in a "semi conscious" state, basically kind of like sleep walking.

This is just my own personal theory, but I think our exhalations attract them somehow while they are sleeping. I did "dive shows" regularly at the aquarium while scuba diving with a communication mask on. And there would be a live audience that I would interact with and answer their questions about the sharks, conservation, etc. It was very common to see sharks sleeping and behaving in this manner and they would oftentimes hover over us why diving when they were sleeping.

At no time were the divers actually in any danger of being "eaten alive"... It's a very harmless encounter.

I am not saying that your wife is wrong, she definitely got the experience.
But I thought sand tiger sharks sleep while lieing on the bottom? As far as I know they can breath actively.

A local on the original video said that the jaw was broken and didn't heal well. Don't know if that's true

 

[chris kippax]

I am not saying that your wife is wrong, she definitely got the experience.
But I thought sand tiger sharks sleep while lieing on the bottom? As far as I know they can breath actively.

A local on the original video said that the jaw was broken and didn't heal well. Don't know if that's true

Grey Nurse,ragged tooth, sand tigers will die if they stop swimming.

 

[chris kippax]

Great shot.
The biggest of this species I have seen was under a thermocline at 30m off Wolf Rock Queensland, the most in one area was South West Rocks NSW, years ago it Magic Point off Sydney [that was 30+ years ago].
Thanks for the memories of great dives with them.

Love diving Wolf rock, some good sized sharks there.
This was shot at Wobby rock off Mooloolaba

 

[Pressurehead]

Diving there next week, grey nurse sharks use it as a transitional home in the cooler months, so the local dive shop 'blurb' says.
I have only seen wobbegong sharks there now [as the name says], we did seen them in the past there [ I ran a dive charter from Mooloolaba for a number of years ].

Love diving Wolf rock, some good sized sharks there.
This was shot at Wobby rock off Mooloolaba

 

[RyanT]

One of the reasons I don't enjoy aquaria anymore -- the other is that, like zoos, I never see them give the animals enough space. How big would that shark's home range be in the wild?

I agree. The sand tigers we see on the wrecks in North Carolina hang out on a shipwreck and then periodically move to other wrecks miles away. So the home range is huge.

Grey Nurse,ragged tooth, sand tigers will die if they stop swimming.

Not true, we see sand tigers resting on the bottom all the time.

 

[tursiops]

There are a few sharks that are "obligate ram ventilators" -- meaning they must keep moving to breathe -- like the Great White, Mako, and Whale sharks, but the sand tigers (Carcharias taurus) or Grey Nurse or ragged tooth, depending on where you live, are not in that ram ventilator group.

 

[Dan]

Sand Tiger Sharks (Carcharias Taurus) “Despite its fearsome appearance and strong swimming ability, it is a relatively placid and slow-moving shark with no confirmed human fatalities....” Sand tiger shark - Wikipedia

One of the DMs from https://www.aquaticsafaris.com/ described it as pussy cat of the sea, for their mild manner despite those scary looking curvy teeth sticking out.

They are not shy either. I have been swimming in very close proximity with them and they just go on their business, which make them to be a great video / photo objects. Unlike the shy hammerheads which I have to hold my breath and use no video light to be closed to them. As soon as I exhale, they would disappear in a jiffy.