Located outside the Royal Towers in the Mayan Temple, Caribbean reef sharks, silky sharks and nurse sharks can be seen from extraordinary vantage points: from an exhilarating ride on a water slide through the middle of the lagoon in a clear tunnel - or from the surrounding deck and panoramic windows, which offer a more leisurely look.
features:
Reef Sharks
Carcharhinus perezi
This shark is the most common species found around Bahamian coral reefs. Little is known of these sharks except that they are one of the few sharks able to lie motionless on the ocean floor yet still pump adequate water for respiration. They can grow up to 10 ft. Atlantis is proud to be the first documented facility to have this species of shark reproduce in captivity.
Silky Sharks
Carcharhinus falciformis
The silky shark, so named because its "smooth" hide is also called the "net-eater shark" in the eastern Pacific because of its tendency to ravage tuna seine nets. It is occasionally found inshore where the water is as shallow as 18 m,; in the open ocean it occurs from the surface down to at least 500 m depth. It is an active, quick-moving, and often aggressive shark. It can grow to 3.3m in length
Nurse Sharks
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Resting by day on the bottom and actively foraging for food at night, they feed heavily on crabs, lobsters, urchins and shrimp. Barbels, the fang-like fleshy sensory appendages that protrude from their upper jaws, help locate food. These sharks are generally harmless but can be provoked into attacking. Their feeding is thought to sound like a baby nursing, hence the name “Nurse Shark.”
10/04/2007