Vegas
casino exhibits great
hammerhead shark
As Reported by The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS
-- After more than two years in seclusion and doubts about whether
it would survive in captivity, a great hammerhead shark has
been released into a massive aquarium at the Mandalay
Bay hotel-casino.
Shark Reef
officials say this is the first time a great hammerhead has
gone on display at a closed-system aquarium.
Shark
Reef curator Jack Jewell said the 5-year-old shark was captured
off the coast of Florida and transported by air to an off-site
husbandry tank in Las Vegas in August 2001. It was unknown specifically
where in Florida the shark was captured.
Jewell
said he didn't know whether the animal could live through the
dangerous journey in a specially designed holding tank. The
shark has to swim continuously to breathe.
"We
spent endless hours ensuring this animal would survive,"
Jewell said. "There are no guarantees."
Jewell
said the shark has grown to be 6 feet long and about 60 pounds.
It could reach 10 feet in length and live for 50 to 60 years.
The shark eats about two pounds of fish a day.
The
great hammerhead is one of the ocean's fiercest predators. Great
hammerheads are also one of the few ocean dwellers that exhibit
cannibalistic behavior.
The
shark's new habitat is a 1.3-million gallon saltwater tank that
houses sandtiger, sandbar, nurse and white tip reef sharks,
along with other marine life, such as sea turtles, barracuda
and stingrays.
Shark
Reef, which opened in June 2000, manufactures its own seawater.
There are a total of 15 other shark species on display at Shark
Reef, which attracts more than 1 million people a year.
Jewell
said the animal appears healthy and is adapting to its new home.
He's hoping to study the shark and publish his results.
"The
work our team has accomplished here will be the model for others,"
Jewell said.
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