zachfishman
Active member
"Snowflake, here snowflake (whistle whistle)"
We have a Great White
- Thread starter wonrib00
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rockytop02
New member
I saw that they have a good picture of her in the Jan/Feb issue of Scuba Diving Magazine.
Update time: the white shark contines to do well, feeding and swimming as usual. This past sunday (Jan 23) marked the first time in which we tried to feed her publicly. We have a person on the microphone telling everyone to turn their flashes off, then they atempt. I didnt get to see the outcome as I had other matters to attend to. But it is a good sign to see that the aquarists feel comfortable enough to do a public feeding.
Speaking of publications that are doing articles, word around the camp fire is that National Geographic is planning to stop by and see whats going on. So in the next couple of months, you may want to keep an eye open.
Speaking of publications that are doing articles, word around the camp fire is that National Geographic is planning to stop by and see whats going on. So in the next couple of months, you may want to keep an eye open.
Today was day 163, which means that we have had her 10 times longs than any other place. There is not much to report other than one small thing. Since I have heard the head aquarist involved with the white shark program discuss it with the public, I feel I may do the same. This past Friday night, we had a major death in the tank that houses the GSW (she is fine). It appears that one of the soupfin sharks was eaten from the second dosalfin back. That is about two feet of shark that was eaten, we assume in one chomp. The mouth marks on the soupfin match that of the GSW. This is the first time that she has preyed on anything in the exhibit. We knew this day would more than likely come, we just didnt know when or what was going to be attacked. We have cameras rolling on this exhibit 24 hours a day, ad when the camera was rolled back to that night, there was a comotion off to the side that we didnt get a good picture of, and the 2/3 of a soupin comes into view. Looks like it is time to increase her feedings.
Also her nose has been doing very well. It is healing quite nicely and is looking a lot better than it was a few weeks ago. So we are thinking that it was the wall that she was rubbing against.
Also her nose has been doing very well. It is healing quite nicely and is looking a lot better than it was a few weeks ago. So we are thinking that it was the wall that she was rubbing against.
bonesnreb
New member
Iam so glad that she is still alive. iam in mississippi and went home to monterey for christmas and took my family to the aquarium and we stood at the shark tank for over 30 min and never got to see her...but i hope next time i return home she is till there to see...loved all that tuna in the tank....
bgoode Not sure how this will affect her stay with us. Obviously if she starts eating everything in there, we will pull her out. I am not sure if they have a set number of important animals they are willing to lose. Soupfin are common sharks and they are one of the animals that GWS eat in the wild.
Dell'Oro It is defenately a good sign, I think. But it all falls back onto what we have been telling people since the begining, if an animal is hungry, it is going to do what ever it can to get something to eat. Like beerguy said, apparently she was still hungry.
bonesnreb Rarely do we not have a staff person up there in front of the big window. If you cant find her and there is no staff peron up there, there is ALWAYS a guide right around the corner in the plankton lab. They would be more than happy to show you where she is. She is very distinct, looks like no other shark in there.
Dell'Oro It is defenately a good sign, I think. But it all falls back onto what we have been telling people since the begining, if an animal is hungry, it is going to do what ever it can to get something to eat. Like beerguy said, apparently she was still hungry.
bonesnreb Rarely do we not have a staff person up there in front of the big window. If you cant find her and there is no staff peron up there, there is ALWAYS a guide right around the corner in the plankton lab. They would be more than happy to show you where she is. She is very distinct, looks like no other shark in there.
Meisen
Premium Member
Wow predation too, thats really great (not great for the soupfin....). Dangit I have got to get out there before she eats her way out of the tank!
Any more pics people are willing to share?
I am really charged up just coming back from a dive trip. Saw a nice 7 foot reef shark that came right past me as well as a lot of coral and fishes.
Any more pics people are willing to share?
I am really charged up just coming back from a dive trip. Saw a nice 7 foot reef shark that came right past me as well as a lot of coral and fishes.
This was taken directly off the MBA website today. "This morning, around 7:30 a.m., the white shark had its second aggressive interaction within ten days on a soupfin shark. Aquarists confirmed that the soupfin shark sustained a five-inch laceration, is still alive and well, and is currently behind the scenes undergoing a veterinary examination. Determining the next steps for the soupfin shark is based on the results of this initial examination. Our veterinarian will probably suture the wound as a first step."
I wasnt there today, so I dont really know much more than that. In talking with a few folks no one is really worried yet. Although Soupfin sharks are in the natural diet of GWS. The first attack they are chalking up to the fact that the Soupfin got too close to the GWS, and it snipped like a dog would. The next few weeks/months could be very interesting. By the way, we are alomst at the six month mark, that will be in a week.
I wasnt there today, so I dont really know much more than that. In talking with a few folks no one is really worried yet. Although Soupfin sharks are in the natural diet of GWS. The first attack they are chalking up to the fact that the Soupfin got too close to the GWS, and it snipped like a dog would. The next few weeks/months could be very interesting. By the way, we are alomst at the six month mark, that will be in a week.
Ya, but we are going toput five animals that are twice as large as her, and that will out grow the exhibit in one year. Hector, it is responces like these that will make some people on the boards go crazy. For clarification, it is a bit of an on going topic that we are experianceing on our local reef club website.
:strooper: Have to give a quick plug for the new Star Wars trailer coming out this week.
:strooper: Have to give a quick plug for the new Star Wars trailer coming out this week.
As someone who's studied GW's for some time now, I can say I'm disappointed personally in keeping one in captivity. Let me preface this by saying there are trade offs, in boosting education, and having people see one as an animal, not a monster. As E. O. Wilson has said, publicly and personally to me, the great white is the esscence of "sharkness" and is one of our last dragons.
My thought is to imprison one robs it of its free spirit and turns it into an attraction. Agreed, MBA has a stellar reputation as a research facility and has released a number of these comfortably back into the wild when the animal's health was only questioned, not endangered.
MBA is also a non-profit that employs dozens (maybe hundreds) of people and needs to support itself. All non-profits are in the business of staying in business. The money aspect is apparent in providing a 16 page pamphlet for $10 to learn about how the shark came to the tank.
I have worked at world class institutions- I'll even name them so I don't have anyone doubt it- like Notre Dame, MIT, I've worked for the Moody family that runs Moody Gardens in Galveston, and worked at New England Aq. To name a few, and currently have a grant in at National Geog.- To quote Ian Malcom, "You were so caught up in the excitement as to whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should".
How will this shark's hunting be impacted?
How will it's sense of range and territory be effected?
How will it's size be impacted? (i know it's growing, but scientifically, one individual is not a "study" it's a model. The same that Michael Jordan can represent an understanding of the human species as a whole. I can say that my keeping a three stripe damsel is a scientific study to learn about a "seldom seen and hard to study organism")
I'm really not flaming anyone here, but I do disagree with the idea. And for the record, I do not eat animals- specifically because sea food has bycatch and shark finning, beef cattle are the cause for our rain forest drestruction, and factory farms pollute our waterways and earth. And I devote my entire life to preserving our oceans-
yeah, it's fun and all to have a gw in a tank, but considering the range on these animals is in the thousands of miles, one million gallons with no stimuli is a joke of a life.
I was at MBA the sunday before the shark was put in the tank. I'm glad that I wasn't there to see her in her cage. Divers belong in cages (well hopefully, if you're shark swimming...) not the sharks.
Just my opinion.
My thought is to imprison one robs it of its free spirit and turns it into an attraction. Agreed, MBA has a stellar reputation as a research facility and has released a number of these comfortably back into the wild when the animal's health was only questioned, not endangered.
MBA is also a non-profit that employs dozens (maybe hundreds) of people and needs to support itself. All non-profits are in the business of staying in business. The money aspect is apparent in providing a 16 page pamphlet for $10 to learn about how the shark came to the tank.
I have worked at world class institutions- I'll even name them so I don't have anyone doubt it- like Notre Dame, MIT, I've worked for the Moody family that runs Moody Gardens in Galveston, and worked at New England Aq. To name a few, and currently have a grant in at National Geog.- To quote Ian Malcom, "You were so caught up in the excitement as to whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should".
How will this shark's hunting be impacted?
How will it's sense of range and territory be effected?
How will it's size be impacted? (i know it's growing, but scientifically, one individual is not a "study" it's a model. The same that Michael Jordan can represent an understanding of the human species as a whole. I can say that my keeping a three stripe damsel is a scientific study to learn about a "seldom seen and hard to study organism")
I'm really not flaming anyone here, but I do disagree with the idea. And for the record, I do not eat animals- specifically because sea food has bycatch and shark finning, beef cattle are the cause for our rain forest drestruction, and factory farms pollute our waterways and earth. And I devote my entire life to preserving our oceans-
yeah, it's fun and all to have a gw in a tank, but considering the range on these animals is in the thousands of miles, one million gallons with no stimuli is a joke of a life.
I was at MBA the sunday before the shark was put in the tank. I'm glad that I wasn't there to see her in her cage. Divers belong in cages (well hopefully, if you're shark swimming...) not the sharks.
Just my opinion.
gatohoser
New member
But its one shark...there's plenty of them out there. Its not like they dragged a net through the oceans of the world with the sole purpose of finding one. They are taking advantage of a situation where it happens anyways. And why not attempt to learn about them and help them (same as we do when we collect corals, we are learning about them so in the scenario that in 100 years they are in great trouble and we need to use our knowledge to save them we can). It doesn't know its not having the time of its life. For all it knows, food is falling out of the sky and keeping him nice and full (ignoring the recent late night snack).
