Have you ever imagined seeing a shark parade? Probably not... but at SEA LIFE Minnesota, that is exactly what happened! On the morning of Tuesday, July 2nd, a gang of sea creatures were released into the 500,000 gallon Atlantis tank, including brown, blacktip, and wobbegong sharks along with southern stingrays and a group of cobia. The SEA LIFE Minnesota staff worked hard making sure everything ran smoothly so the new critters would have a comfortable and safe transition into their new home.
photo of the SEA LIFE team prepping for the release
Among the group of sea creatures released in the tank is the brown shark, also known as the sandbar shark. According to cheseapeakebay.net, the sandbar shark is one of the largest coastal sharks, and can grow to about 7 feet long.
Another shark we added to our SEA LIFE family is the blacktip shark, which is found in warm coastal waters around the world- so it often encounters people. Found on National Geographic's website, blacktip sharks can weigh anything from 66-220 pounds!
Some other cool critters we released into the tank are the southern stingrays. From oceana.org, southern stingrays are feared because they have long tails that are equipped with one or more venomous spines. Even though they can't see their prey because their eyes are on top of their head, they can still sense them by using smell and electro-receptors.
As part of the democratic theme this week, SEA LIFE Minnesota is inviting its Facebook fans to submit names for the two southern stingrays from now until July 8th. YOU could be the one to name these new guys as they adjust to their new home here at the aquarium.
Check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SEALIFEMN.
