Sand tiger sharks get quarterly checkups at Marineland

Marineland and the rest of the world are trying to figure out how make the sharks mate.

By Jeff Dawsey
| 4:33 p.m. May 16, 2017

Female No. 3 gets released back to her aquarium after her quarterly checkup. Photo by Jeff Dawsey

Medical personnel performed an ultrasound on Female No. 3 during her checkup. Photo by Jeff Dawsey

One of Marineland' s turtle' s, Rocky, turned around to wave good-bye as I was leaving. Photo by Jeff Dawsey

Each shark has a generic name that ranges from Male No. 1-7 or Female No. 1-5. Photo by Jeff Dawsey

Palm Coast Observer
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Marineland Dolphin Adventure’s animal care team conducted quarterly physical checkups on all 12 of their sand tiger sharks Tuesday, May 16, at it is location at 9600 N. Ocean Shore Blvd in St. Augustine.

The care team carefully restrained each shark without lifting it out of the water. After securing it, the additional medical personnel then drew blood and even performed an ultrasounds on the female sharks.

The facility, which is an affiliate of Georgia Aquarium, has partnered with Pittsburgh Zoo, Ripley’s Aquarium and PPG Aquarium and have developed an environment that seeks to breed the sharks.

According to Georgia Aquarium’s Director of Fish and Vertebrates Chris Schreiber, sand tiger sharks are growing extinct and there have been no successful fertilization births among sand tiger sharks in the United States.

“This is one of the largest collections of sand tiger sharks around the world,” Schreiber, “and we’re trying to understand how to get them to mate. We’ve created the environment outside, so they can experience the similarities of the ocean. We even have ocean water in their aquariums. We want to see what they’re doing here to better understand what they’re doing it out there. And there are also people out in the field who are working in the opposite direction.”

Marineland has had the sharks for three years. Although the sharks have yet to breed, the care team believes they are growing in their knowledge, and Schreiber made it clear that the partners are dedicated to discovering how to make the sharks breed.

For more information about the sharks or Marineland Dolphin Adventure, call 904-471-1111.