Gigantic Aquarium Tank Holds Four - FOUR! - Whale Sharks

1. jay
   June 20th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

   The one at the Georgia Aquarium is 3 times as large and also has 4 whale sharks. But, please don’t be fooled. If you see these whale sharks in their tanks, it looks as if they are cramped for space. Newer research is also showing that whale sharks need much more space (than any aquarium can give) for migration and deep water feeding, mating, etc. I wonder if it is the reason that two of the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium died?

2. prophet
   June 20th, 2008 at 3:40 pm

   The picture is astonishing! I can´t stop thinking what would happen if that gigantic glass breaks. It gives me chills…

3. Steve Shindell
   June 20th, 2008 at 4:57 pm

   Our two whale sharks (out of six) died due to an adverse reaction to a medication for flukes commonly used in the private and public aquarium industry. We no longer use it, and the other four whale sharks are doing great.

   I disagree about your “newer research” showing the need for migratory patterns - they do migrate over large expanses, and dive down to amazing depths, but that appears to be in search of food, not a biological requirement or for entertainment. The Georgia Aquarium is working with the Mote Laboratory and a facility in Mexico on scientific field research on whale sharks so we can understand them more effectively - there are still a great deal of mysteries about them.

   But I agree, the facility is the size of a football field, and even diving in it a large amount of time can go by without seeing a whale shark. They are not cramped in a small enclosure.

4. bean
   June 20th, 2008 at 5:18 pm

   33 feet of water for a whale shark? That’s like putting a flying bird in an enclosure only a few feet tall.

5. DjW
   June 20th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

   Got to understand that Okinawa Prefecture is desperate to get more tourism dollars. When I was stationed then four years ago there was about 25,000 or more US military personnel and their families stationed on the island. I can’t find citations, but the island is hurting pretty badly from a large unemployed populace and piggy backing off that is the highest level of alcholism compared to all the other prefectures.

   I could see the discussion of how many whale sharks to stick in the tank going like so “Two!!! No we need to double that or no one is going to come and see this!”

6. dghsdgjsdgjksd
   June 20th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

   same thing at georgia aquarium

7. Kerry
   June 20th, 2008 at 11:49 pm

   and the Georgia Aquarium is a lot closer than Japan!

8. Ajan
   June 21st, 2008 at 8:08 am

   kewl! if IF IF IF only i had one such aquarium at home.. its gonna be like hell!!

9. Thomas
   June 21st, 2008 at 10:57 am

   I’ve been meaning to go to the Ga aquarium, just never got around to it. I hear they had an excellent exhibit on photoluminescence a couple of years ago… hope its still there.

10. JC
    June 21st, 2008 at 9:29 pm

    I´m not a marine biologist, but the pool is inmense and the sharks doesn´t seem tight of space.

11. Chris Johnston
    June 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Interesting how whale sharks thrive so well in captivity, yet Great Whites don’t.
    I wonder if they would in a facility of this size.
    (Well, you can put a bunch of *other* sea life in with a whale shark… and they won’t get EATEN!)

12. smikwily
    June 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    Saw a special on the Discovery channel (I think) on them making the tank/aquarium. If you find the article remotely interesting, you’d probably enjoy it as well.

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