Shark Week!

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores celebrates the fascinating and often misunderstood world of sharks with “fin-filled” activities July 29 – Aug. 4.

During “Shark Week,” the Aquarium will feature shark-themed activities, programs and displays. As close relatives of sharks, stingrays and skates also will be in the spotlight. Shark Week activities are free with regular admission or membership.

There are over 350 species of sharks worldwide, about 25 of which frequent North Carolina’s nearshore waters. The sight of any shark fin cutting through the water often invokes fear, but only a few species have been known to attack humans.

“They’re an apex predator, no different than wolves, bears or lions. If their numbers dwindle, it can upset the balance of an entire ecosystem,” said Aquarist Kevin Mathis.

Most sharks are slow to mature, so recovery is a lengthy process. “It takes a long time for their populations to catch back up,” Mathis said.

Visitors can get an up-close look at three shark species at the Aquarium. A female sand tiger in the 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck weighs nearly 350 pounds and is more than eight feet long. Sandbars and nurse sharks also swim the waters of the Living Shipwreck, and nurse sharks can be seen in Queen Anne’s Revenge.

The Skate & Ray Encounters touch pool offers a hands-on experience with a baby nurse shark, as well as skates and stingrays. The rays have been humanely debarbed.

Other Shark Week activities:

• A special toothy portal into the Ocean Gallery
• A photo opportunity -- standing in a model of the huge jaws of a megaladon, a giant, prehistoric shark
• Shark-themed crafts
• Creature Feature programs in the Big Rock Theater starring sharks
• Videos in the Sportfishing Gallery on the importance of shark conservation
  

Some of the Aquarium’s daily programs, free with admission, highlight sharks year-round. In the outdoor Fossil Hunt, visitors can sift through sand from a quarry for fossilized shark teeth.

Shark eating habits are part of animal feeding presentations. The “Live Dive!” program in the Living Shipwreck also offers a glimpse of divers interacting with these fascinating creatures, and illustrates the role of the sharks as a tourist attraction.

The Living Shipwreck features a three-quarter-scale replica of U-352, a German World War II submarine sunk off Cape Lookout in 1942. Like other shipwrecks along the coast, the debris formed an artificial reef that became home to a large and diverse marine community. Recreational divers especially like U-352 for the number of sand tiger sharks that prowl it.

“Sharks are very important to our local economy,” said Mathis. “Divers come from far and wide to dive in our waters and see the aggregations of sand tiger sharks. A number of industries in our area would be greatly impacted if we don’t care for and conserve these animals.”

Shark Week is coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the national accrediting organization, and corresponds with a week of special shark programs on the Discovery Channel.