Credits: Social Media
Youve never seen a Great White Shark in an aquarium because of 4 major reasons
If you’ve ever been to the aquarium, you might have wondered where the Great White Sharks are. But as it turns out, there is a very good reason why the apex predators are not regular attractions.
Our fascination with animals has sparked a billion-dollar industry where some of the world’s most miraculous creatures are put on display for our treasure. Though somewhat controversial, thanks to instances like SeaWorld’s treatment of Orcas, organizations have worked tirelessly to make zoos, aquariums, and the like more ethical in their treatment of animals.
Great White Sharks have a long and sad history with aquariums
The combination of Hollywood and brutal attacks has transformed the Great White Shark into a sort of mythological figure. They are widely feared even though you’re more likely to be killed by a cow than a Great White Shark.
It’s really dolphins we should be worried about.
Despite the fear, Great White Sharks are widely regarded as the world’s top predators, which somewhat makes them the celebrities of the animal kingdom. Everyone wants to see one, but that’s particularly difficult if you’re not somewhere like South Africa, Australia, or the shark-infested waters of Cape Cod.
Following the release of Jaws in 1978, interest in Great White Sharks skyrocketed in the US. In response, many major aquariums attempted to wrangle the beasts for the public to view, though sadly, all of the attempts ended badly.
All the sharks died within weeks, or sometimes even days, until the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California broke the trend with a 1.2-meter juvenile Great White Shark. The pen was specifically designed to contain 3.78 million liters of water with a depth of 10.6 meters.
The shark only remained at the facility for 198 days before it was released, though not before it could chow down on two of its pen-mates.
Though Monterey Bay Aquarium continued to exhibit Great White Sharks for a number of years, they shut down their program in 2011, citing a natural end to their research as the reason. Other facilities have since followed suit.
Why can’t Great White Sharks be kept in captivity?
Though we have now covered the times that Great White Sharks were introduced to live audiences on land, we still don’t know why they do so poorly in captivity.
TikTok’s @conserve2preserve, who usually posts content around the world we live in, delved into the topic in a viral video earlier this year.
Firstly, he said that moving a full-grown, or even juvenile, Great White Shark is a costly, dangerous, and time-consuming task. We know that businesses love their bottom line, and spending millions on a Shark that will eventually die is not a good business practice.
Great White Sharks also swim an average of 50 miles a day, which is obviously not doable in a captive enclosure.
The content creator also highlighted how the creatures are apex predators, meaning they will consume literally anything you put in the tank with them. Considering the space they need to swim, that would mean an enormous tank filled only with one creature. Again, it’s not the dazzling attraction businesses like SeaWorld are hoping for.
Last, and arguably the least known of the reasons, is the fact that Great White Sharks need to remain constantly moving to keep oxygen flowing through their gills.
