2016 is already off to a great start! Our New York Aquarium scientists have announced the discovery of a nursery for sand tiger sharks, a fearsome-looking but non-aggressive fish, in Great South Bay.
The nursery provides juvenile sand tiger sharks ranging from several months to five years in age with a place to feed and grow. It also gives juvenile sharks protection from predators, including other sharks.
After birth off the southeastern United States (sand tiger sharks give birth to live young as opposed to laying eggs), the juvenile sharks migrate north in the spring and spend the summer in New York waters before returning south in the fall.
Only a handful of sand tiger shark nursery grounds have been identified, one of which is in the waters of Massachusetts.
This discovery is especially exciting since sharks will be the central focus of Ocean Wonders: Sharks!, our 57,000-square-foot building currently under construction. The new interactive exhibits will hold over 115 species that thrive in the New York seascape, and teach you how to make everyday choices to protect them. We can't wait to introduce you to some lesser-known New York neighbors.
Below, a video of our scientists tagging sharks for further study.
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