Category Archives: Holiday Program

Sharks Down Under – Amazing Australian Shark Facts

Hammerhead

Contrary to popular belief, mainly brought about by scary shark movies, you have more chance of being killed by a coconut than a shark! Over-fishing and unsustainable practices are causing shark populations to decline worldwide. Amazing sharks play an important role in our oceans and on our majestic reefs and we should all be concerned about their numbers declining. We believe that the big danger is not sharks; the big danger is shark extinction.

Here in Australia, we are luck to have bountiful species of shark living off our coastline. Read on to discover some interesting facts about sharks of Australia, why we need sharks in Australia and why we need to protect sharks living off the coast of Australia.

 

Sharks in Australian Waters

Shark resources

There are considered to be around 180 species of sharks in Australian waters and 400 species worldwide. In fact, around 50 species of shark live right here, off the Eastern Coast of Queensland. Eastern Australia’s grey nurse sharks are considered critically endangered and school sharks (sometimes known as flake in fish and chip shops) and scalloped hammerheads are on the endangered shark list too.

 

Sharks Commonly Found off Australia

The following sharks are commonly found off Australia’s coast: Great White, Port Jackson, Thresher, Zebra Shark, Tiger Shark, Tasselled Wobbegong, Whale Shark, Oceanic Whitetip, Blacktip Reef, Grey Nurse, Bull Shark, Bronze Whaler, Great Hammerhead, Blind Shark, Pygmy Shark

 

Why Do We Need Sharks?

 There is no doubt that we need sharks. As apex predators, sharks help maintain the balance of life in the sea. Sharks are a vital part of the food chain, controlling mid-sized predators and allowing small reef fish to thrive. Small reef fish take care of our amazing coral reef, therefore sharks help keep coral reef healthy. Without sharks, we would be denied the pleasure of exploring amazing underwater habitats such as the world’s largest natural wonder, Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. The global economic impact on tourism and of declining fish stocks would be huge. So, have no doubt, we need sharks!

 

Why Are Shark Populations in Decline?

Shark populations are in decline globally and in Australian waters. 100 million sharks are killed in worldwide fisheries each year and habitat degradation, pollution and climate change are also impacting international shark populations. Controversial shark nets and drum lines (designed to protect human populations) add further to the decline.

Sharks live a long time (20-30 years), grow slowly and take a long time to mature and reach reproductive age. This means that even if we slow the decline in shark populations now, populations will take a long time to recover.

 

Sharks Facts QuizShould I Be Scared of Sharks in Australia?

No! We don’t think you should be scared of sharks. The ocean is their home and when we visit their home we need to be very aware and respectful of them.

  • On average, one person a year is killed in a shark attack in Australia.

To put things in perspective…

  • 5 people die from falling out of bed
  • 10 people are struck down by lightning
  • 1,100 are killed on our roads

 

Ultimate Shark Facts 

Check out our ultimate shark facts and discover how much you really know about sharks.

  • The largest species of shark is the whale shark
  • Baby sharks are called pups
  • Shark bones are made of cartilage
  • Many sharks have multiple rows of sharp teeth – they can grow 35, 000 in a lifetime
  • Shark skin feels like sandpaper
  • The collective noun for a shark is a Shiver (or School, Shoal)
  • The fastest shark in the ocean is the Shortfin Mako Shark (up to 74k an hour)
  • The smallest species of shark is the Dwarf Lantern Shark (smaller than a human hand)
  • Sharks have eyelids but they do not blink
  • Sharks do not see in colour
  • 10% of shark species are bioluminescent – they light up in the dark
  • 180 species of shark live off the coast of Australia – 400 species worldwide
  • Bull sharks can live in fresh and salt water
  • Some sharks lay eggs (oviparous) others give birth to live young (viviparous), and some are a combination of these two, they start life inside their mother as an egg, hatch inside her and then are born live (ovoviviparous)
  • Egg laying sharks lay egg cases known as mermaid’s purses
  • Unlike humans, sharks breathe through gills, so their nostrils are purely dedicated to smelling
  • Sharks are able to detect blood from 5 km
  • Sharks can identify which of their two nostrils have picked up a scent – enabling them to determine the direction to swim to find food
  • Some species of shark can survive for up to 3 months between meals
  • Sharks can sense vibrations from 3 kilometres away

 

What Can I Do to Help Protect Sharks?

  • Educate yourself and your friends
  • Share your love of sharks on your social media channels
  • Join a volunteer shark conservation organisation like sharkconservationorg.au, marineconservation.org.au, seashepherd.com.au (make a donation if you can)
  • Join a beach clean or just clean as you go!
  • Buy sustainable seafood and check restaurants have done so. Avoid flake at the Fish & Chip shop as it may be endangered shark
  • Ask politicians to support ocean acidification research

Ocean Life Education is passionate about protecting all marine animals and focusing on the important role sharks play in our oceans.  We aim to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the most feared fish in the sea.

Check out our Shark Discovery Program for more information on how to inspire kids to love and respect sharks: www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/holiday-program/ 

Want to know more about sharks?

online shark course

Check out our Amazing Sharks Online Course

Cobb and Co Museum an ‘Under the Sea’ Adventure

Ocean Life Education’s marine animals were welcomed with open arms for some educational summer holiday fun last month at Cobb & Co Museum. Local families of the Toowoomba area met our beautiful marine ambassadors and gained a deeper knowledge about ocean conservation and the part we play in it.

The chosen theme of ‘Under the Sea’ did not disappoint, as locals arrived of all ages to touch and interact with our exciting live marine life. While the little ones marvelled at our soft sea cucumbers, the parents enjoyed the facts presented by our Director of Education, Richard Coward.

Although our baby bamboo sharks don’t let you get too close, they held their own with some interesting personal facts as part of their show appearance. They were given the name ‘Bamboo Sharks’ permanently for an impermanent feature, as they lose their ‘bamboo’ styled stripes when they grow, not needing the camouflage as much in maturity. Their powerful little jaws have an incredible strength even at such a young age – a tender ‘nibble’ of your finger would leave a mark if you did try and have a pat. So, we keep them safe from little fingers in case they get a little hungry before their lunch break…

Ocean Life Education programs are both educational and interactive, and one of our exciting artefacts that we brought to link the information and animals with our program was our tiger shark jaws – this was a hit with not just the kids, but the adults too! The real showstoppers are our patient and lovable animals. Everyone enjoyed touching our blue linkea sea stars, spikey sea urchins and black sea cucumbers. They even got to see a real shark egg up close and personal.

Did you know that our ocean covers 70% of our planet, supporting 228,450 known species in the ocean with as many as 2 million more yet to be properly discovered? Humans are one of those species that the ocean and its marine plants plays a fundamental role in the lives of – just one being its production of over 70% of the world’s oxygen!

You can tell we are passionate about what we do, and it was a pleasure to visit Cobb & Co Museum with our beloved marine life. We view it as a privilege to raise awareness for their needs in the wild and highlight important environmental issues with all ages. Have a look at our Facebook page for some pictures from the Cobb & Co experience.

If you would welcome an Ocean Life Education visit for your event, school or centre, please click the link below or send us an email; we would love to discuss an opportunity to bring our animals to you!

 

An Ocean Friendly Christmas

Ok, so you’ve reduced, reused, recycled this year; said “no” to plastic straws; diligently dragged cloth shopping bags to the checkout for your groceries, and generally tried to be an environmentally sensitive global citizen…

But with the Christmas season upon us, do all our good intentions disappear under a feast of festive food and generosity of gift giving?  Is it possible to still revel in this time of goodwill and excess while still caring for our impact on the planet?

The answer is a resounding “yes” – with a little forward thought and planning.

Websites such as www.4ocean.com lead the way in thoughtful presents that benefit the world around us.  Every product purchased funds the removal of half a kilogram of rubbish from our oceans.  Many of their items are made from recycled plastic or glass bottles and can be returned to them to be re-purposed into other gifts down the track.

www.oceanandcompany.com donate money from every sale to support research and awareness campaigns centred around ocean pollution.

For the more practically minded person on your shopping list, www.floraandfauna.com.au  has many great household items that will still be used long after Christmas becomes a distant memory.

The fashion conscious might enjoy something from www.biome.com.au that has ethically produced choices in its clothing line – along with 100% recycled gift wrap – which will help save the estimated 50,000 trees cut down every year to decorate our presents.

Experiences are of course a wonderful gift that don’t need to cost the earth – and they may even help save it.  Ocean Life Education runs Marine Biologist for a Day Programs which help inspire children to care for our oceans and the creatures that live in it.  They’re fun, educational and might just set them on a career path that helps the planet.  Find out more details at

https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/marine-biologist-for-a-day/

For many of us, the festive season will involve time at the beach, enjoying our coveted coastline.  But when the celebrations are over, and the focus turns to the New Year, what resolutions will you make to help preserve the part of the planet we value so much?

The donation of a little time and energy can help make a world of difference to our waterways. There are a number of community groups that run clean-up campaigns dedicated to removing rubbish from our foreshores.  Check out organisations such as www.seashepherd.org.au www.surfrider.org.au or www.cleanup.org.au

It’s all about finding balance – enjoying the things we love while ensuring our good times don’t devastate the watery world around us.  Have a wonderful ocean friendly summer from the team at Ocean Life Education.

The Stars of our Programs

Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that make the most impact.  Take sea stars for example –  these unassuming members of the marine world are more than just pretty decorations on the reef.

These topsy turvy creatures with their mouth underneath and their bottom up top, play a major role in keeping our oceans healthy.

Sea stars are the underwater clean-up crew.  They eat their way through debris discarded by other animals feeding frenzies, as well as targeting organisms that need to be kept in check.  The services they provide in the marine eco system has earnt them the title of keystone species.

And they’re not afraid to take on a big challenge.  These close relatives of sea urchins and sand dollars can consume creatures much larger than their small mouths would suggest, thanks to a stomach-turning technique they’ve perfected.

They can expel one of their two bellies outside their body to wrap around prey – this external digestion is a slow process, taking them up to 10 hours to finish their meal.

But this is only one of the tricks up their five more sleeves….. sea stars can regenerate entire bodies from just one severed limb.  This is because most of their vital organs are in the arms, including eye spots, which help them to sense light from dark as they move about in the ocean.

Not bad for an animal that has neither a heart nor a brain.  Instead, these echinoderms have a basic water vascular system which allows them to pump the surrounding sea through their bodies.  Even their tiny, suction-cupped feet, which they use to move about, are fed from the filtered water they draw in.

There are close to 2,000 species of sea stars in our oceans using these clever adaptations.  These sloths of the sea will never win any medals for speed but many can live up to 35 years – a rarity amongst marine animals of this size, which speaks volumes about their ability to beat the odds.

While, some are protected by a spikey, calcified skin, most just rely on their bright colours to deceive predators into believing they’re toxic to touch.

Ocean Life Education has long been a fan of sea stars – they are an integral part of our team of animal ambassadors that accompany us to all our presentations.

If you would like to gently touch and learn more about these amazing sea creatures and many others like them, contact us at Ocean Life Education on info@oceanlifeeducation.com.au Discover for yourself why this most unassuming of marine animals truly has star qualities.