- SEA LIFE, Bay of Rays
Port Jackson Sharks
Bob, Spot, Splits, Kinky, Trio, and Mango are our resident Port Jackson Sharks! These lovely ladies lay eggs which are spiral shaped and look like seaweed! That helps prevent them getting snacked on by camouflaging the eggs into their environment. They can only be found in southern Australia and nowhere else in the world. These sharks are nocturnal and are mostly active at night, which is why they are a dark brown colour. Much like carpet sharks, Port Jackson Sharks are able to rest at the bottom, rather than continuously swimming. These sharks love to snack on animals with a hard shell, like crabs, so their teeth are almost flat like our molars. This doesn’t mean that they can’t give a painful bite though!
Fiddler Rays
Fiddler Rays are also known as Banjo Sharks due to their shape. These rays are not stingrays as they dont have a venomous barb in their tail, so they are completely harmless! They Can be found in both tropical and temperate water along the eastern and southern coast of Victoria. We have two species of Fiddler Ray in the Bay of Rays; The larger Eastern Fiddler Ray, and the smaller Southern Fiddler Ray. The Fiddler Ray is closely related to the Sawfish and Guitarfish. They feed by pouncing on their prey, pinning it down with their rounded pectoral fins.
Necklace Carpet Shark
Our beautiful Necklace Carpet Shark is called Catdog due to his long, and skinny body. Necklace Carpet Sharks get their name from the patterning around their neck. Catdog does like to get up close and personal to guests during feeds by splashing them or spitting water, so give him plenty of room! He can usually be found up the front of the tank resting alongside the acrylic. As Necklace Carpet Sharks are small species of shark, they lay eggs, which can be found at our Touch and Feel Discovery Rockpools. Necklace Carpet Sharks lay eggs with filaments that anchor it to the substrate. Necklace Carpet Sharks only grow to around 90cm and are small in comparison to other species of Carpet Shark species such as Nurse Sharks, Wobbegongs and even Whale Sharks.
FIN-tastic Carpet Shark Facts
EATING ON THE GO
Port Jackson Sharks, unlike most species of shark, can eat and breathe at the same time! The sharp teeth help to hold their prey while their back teeth to crush through the shells of their prey.
MASTER OF DISGUISE
Try and spot the Ray! Our six Fiddler Rays are masters of disguise. They bury themselves in the sand with just their eyes poking out to stay hidden from predators and to get close to their prey.
OH MY WHISKERS
Necklace Carpet Sharks have small barbels that look like whiskers. These have taste receptors on them which help our carpet sharks to find their food in murky water, amongst sand or in the dark!