Zach at the Zoo: Meet the Porbeagle Shark

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In this week’s edition of Zach at the Zoo, we get a closer look at the porbeagle sharks at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Some of these sharks have been living in Omaha for 30 years.

• VIDEO: Zach takes us above the shark tunnel during feeding time.
• The sandbar shark is one of the largest coastal sharks, growing up to eight feet long.
• “They’re so charismatic. People think they’re just big eating machines, but they’re actually so tender.”

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE SHOW:

It’s meal time at the top of the shark tunnel.

Well, sort of.

“So it was a definite no, I don’t want that,” said Morgan Mcavoy, Shark Team leader, as the shark swam alongside its food.

“They can be a bit picky sometimes. Trout is not their favourite food, but we make sure they have a good variety of food.”

Not quite what I originally expected from sharks.

“They’re so charismatic,” Mcavoy said. “People think they’re just big eating machines, but they’re really, really sweet. They’re so nice.”

We are talking specifically about the grey shark, also known as the brown shark.

“They eat twice a week and we give them 100 pounds of food each time.”

Some of these sharks have called Scott Aquarium home for nearly 30 years.

But they also have five puppies that have only been here a few years.

“I really like Swim Shady, he’s my favorite,” Mcavoy shared. “He’s pretty spunky, he’s got a lot of personality.”

These sharks are constantly on the move – literally.

“It’s a pelagic species in the Atlantic, which means it has to swim constantly to breathe,” Mcavoy explained. “It’s sleeping, but it’s still moving. It’s kind of on autopilot and it keeps swimming.”

Nothing escapes them in the water.

“They have the Lorenzini bulbs “They have a sixth sense,” McAvoy says. “That’s how they detect fish from miles away. It’s an electrical detection system.”

“They can feel fish moving, they can feel us in the water. Their face and lateral line are very sensitive, that’s where those organs are.”

You can see Swim Shady and the rest of the crew inside Scott’s Aquarium.