Newport Aquarium Sends Sharks Overseas
local12.com 28 Sep 08;
The Newport Aquarium is packing up 11 nurse sharks and sending them overseas. The sharks are going to an aquarium in the largest mall in the world in Dubai.
All the animals were acquired from or donated by pet stores or home hobbyists who could no longer properly care for the sharks. Newport Aquarium officials have overseen the care of the animals for more than three years at its auxiliary warehouse location in Newport. The sharks were on display at one time at the Aquarium but were moved out to make room for other species.
The sharks will be shipped to the Dubai Aquarium at The Dubai Mall. It is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world.
The sharks were put into eight large shipping containers and will travel to Chicago on two tractor trailers. Tomorrow, they'll be flown to Dubai, by way of Taiwan.
Usually light yellowish brown to dark brown, nurse sharks have flattened bodies and broad, rounded heads with two conspicuous barbels between the nostrils which are used to help find food. The mouth is filled with rows of small, serrated teeth for crushing hard-shelled prey.
Generally slow and sluggish, nurse sharks spend much of their time resting on the ocean's bottom. Because this shark can pump water over its gills, it does not need to swim in order to breathe. If it must move, the nurse shark may even use its large front (or pectoral) fins to "walk" along the ocean floor.
Female nurse sharks, averaging 7½ to 9 feet and 165 to 230 pounds, are slightly larger than their male counterparts. Nurse sharks are common in tropical and subtropical coastal waters on both sides of North America.
Nurse sharks are often found in the pet trade, although they quickly outgrow any but the largest hobbyist tank. It is important for amateur collectors to know how to properly care for this or any animal before purchasing.
