On Sept. 26th, the Riverview High School Marine Science Program received an extremely generous donation from Seaworld in the form of sharks! Seaworld graciously gifted our program with 2 juvenile Whitespotted sharks and 2 Whitespotted Bamboo shark eggs! This may be a once in a lifetime experience for some of our students to witness and care for the growth and development of baby sharks, and to take part in the process of nurturing and hatching shark eggs! We cannot wait to see these sharks grow and the students will learn valuable skills as they care for the babies to adulthood.
Whitespotted Bamboo Shark Information (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)
Whitespotted Bamboo sharks (scientific name Chiloscyllium plagiosum) are a smaller species of shark called Carpet Sharks and remain less than about 1 meter, or just under 3 feet, in length when they are full grown. Bamboo sharks are very docile sharks and well-known to be kept in aquariums due to their gentle nature. Because they are a small, bottom-feeding, nocturnal species, they are harmless to humans (can still mistake a finger for shrimp though!)
Whitespotted Bamboo sharks are native to the Pacific Ocean, living along coral reefs ranging from Indonesia to Japan, and around India. According to the IUCN, their conservation status is Near Threatened due to destruction of their habitats and overfishing.
Whitespotted Bamboo Sharks have distinct white spots with brown banding and these features help to distinguish them from their relatives, the Brownbanded Bamboo Shark. Because they are known to commonly sit and rest on the bottom of the ocean with their head and trunk propped up by resting on their pectoral fins.
Their mouth is located on the bottom of their head and this is a very common features seen in more docile sharks who’s diet consists of organisms that require more crushing or grinding force, like crustaceans and bivalves, rather than shredding like the sharp teeth you would see from a Great White Shark. But just because their teeth are flatter and used more for grinding their food, that doesn’t mean a Whitespotted Bamboo shark still can’t give you a bite if your fingers get too close to their mouths!
The eggs we received from Seaworld are about 6 weeks old already and you can actually see the baby shark moving around in their egg, attached to the yolk that is giving them the nutrients they need to grow and survive!
Take a look at the video to the left to see the little one wiggling around in its egg casing, getting ready to explore its new world soon!
Our Current Brownbanded Shark
The current shark kept at Riverview High School in the Aquadome is a Brownbanded Bamboo Shark that is just about 7 years old now. Students and many community members have had the opportunity to learn more about sharks through our girl, and gotten to experience just how incredible sharks can be. Our Brownbanded Shark has a lot of exciting times ahead of her, as the new babies will be joining her soon!
Check out this video below of our current adult Brownbanded Shark being hatched from an egg from several years ago! Keep in mind that many shark eggs do not hatch in the wild because the babies cannot break through their eggs and die if they can’t get out. By cutting the eggs, as you see in the video, we are actually helping the babies make their way out of the eggs and increase their chances of survival!
Ram Nation Aquascience 