Sharks

Despite its fearsome appearance and rows of sharp teeth, the Grey Nurse shark offers no threat to humans and is, in fact, a superbly adapted fish-eater, usually swallowing its prey whole. During the 1960s and 1970s, the population of the Grey Nurse shark declined sharply and in 1984, they became the first shark species in the world to be awarded protected status. SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium supports conservation measures to protect the species, such as through the establishment of marine parks where fishing is prohibited.

IUCN Red List Conservation status: Vulnerable
However the east coast population is listed as critically endangered.

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!

IUCN Red List Conservation status: Least Concern

Fiddler Rays are also known as Banjo Sharks due to their shape. These rays are not stingrays as they don't 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.

IUCN Red List Conservation status: Least Concern

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.

IUCN Red List Conservation status: Least Concern