Why no aquarium has a great white shark #shorts

Many have tried to keep a white shark in captivity. Here's why that's so difficult.

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[mckaylapaddock]

I was a volunteer for the Monterrey Bay aquarium and have a degree in marine biology. The reason they started keeping white sharks was for a research project. There's still a lot we don't know about great whites and sharks in general, but learning more helps us promote conservation efforts. During their stay, their health and wellbeing was a main concern. Each shark was released as soon as they began to look stressed, and the veterinary team determined release was the best course of action. Since the aquarium wasn't able to ensure the sharks could stay safely, once the project ran it's course, they have not attempted to capture or keep any more white sharks.

Also, the one that died shortly after release was killed, I can't recall if by a predator or humans, but it was believed to likely be unrelated. I can't recall if it died weeks or months after release.

[lessoriginal]

Worth noting: while they sharks WERE on display they weren't being kept merely for display purposes. They were being actively studied.

[SETIChurch]

You think there's a human version of Jaws for sharks?

"Hands"

[tubbymontana]

It’s good to know they stopped for the safety of the animal well that and probably how much it cost 💲 to get them and maintain them

[HeckaS]

When I went to the Monterey Bay aquarium, this worker lady there came up to me and my group and pointed to a tank we were walking by, and she told us this info about great whites. She said the way they were able to keep them alive was the shape of the tank, that was in a figure 8.

[miguel.ovr]

Sharks were truly made to be wild creatures

[nebulaecry]

People missing the context here which is that Monterey bay is a RESEARCH and RESCUE aquarium. The sharks were brought in primarily to study the species to help with conservation, and several of them had been injured when they were found and needed to recover/wouldn’t have survived without intervention.

[castleanthrax]

An aquarium in Sydney (iirc) kept a sick great white in an aquarium for about 6 days to allow it to recover. It was only a juvenile (less than 5 feet in length), but it changed the whole dynamic in the tank. Every other fish suddenly began following it around the tank. When someone asked why everything was following it around, they were told, "If you were in a tank with a great white, you'd want to know exactly where it was at all times. If it's in front of you, it can't sneak up behind you."

[arandomgamergamez]

whalesharks are also extremely friendly and just the chillest dudes, they literally have other critters hanging onto them just to hitch a ride and dont care. man i love sharks

[DemarcusQ]

Imagine having to breath by continuously walking so the air flows into your mouth 😂

[_just_looking_thank_you]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has always been very good about releasing animals that might be stressed. Much of its inventory is regularly cycled to avoid stress. Particularly sea otters, the only mammals that they keep.

[scorpioninpink]

We don't need to put every animal in a cage to appreciate them.

[yoshitheonly]

When you see that they're built to travel between continents, it starts to make sense why putting them in something comperable to a fishbowl would be catastrophic.

[zombi]

I believe one of the theories about the difficulty is that the GWs use electrical field sensing to navigate and orient themselves to prey and even the electrolysis from the bolts in the aquarium rusting slowly messed with that sense and they often swam into the walls of the enclosure.

[MSheen-efly]

the marine biologists in Monterey noticed the great whites kept honing in on certain areas of the tank. The suspicion was that the sharks were detecting and electromagnetic field at that location. One large shark kept ramming into the area, they let her go. It's possible that the tanks mess with the sharks ability to detect EMFs and even after release they have difficulty readjusting. The sharks use multiple methods of detecting prey sensing the distressed animal through changes in the emf is one of them. And yes, my degree is in marine biology with and emphasis in shark behavior.

[jennifervasquez]

Wish the video included the fact that the Monterrey Bay Aquarium isnt just some entertainment aquarium but actually a research and education facility that does a lot of great work for conservation. Its a favorite field trip location for schools in the area for a reason, its fun and very educational.

[Saltboi]

You know, if humans could cage a rainbow, they would.

[Danny-iijn]

Not gonna lie so brutally iconic for this shark to also not allow it’s self to be captured and studied either.

[amoose]

I saw one of the sharks at Monterey. It was amazing when it turned and swam towards you, it looked like a sentient murder bus gliding along. It wasnt until it turned that you realized how much closer it had gotten to you.
It was really small and the staff / signage said it was accidently caught and injured by a fishing trawler or something and was there to recover. It was gone a month later iirc.

[AndreaLikesMusic]

I kind of like that their vibe is freedom or death ❤ quite the creature