They are starving. Scientists explain why white sharks can’t survive in captivity

There is no aquarium like this in the world that can “boo” about keeping great white sharks in captivity. Fortunately, the world has changed today, thanks in large part to the release of the documentary “Black Fish,” which opened people’s eyes to the conditions in which killer whales are held in captivity, writes IFL Science.

But it’s not just about the movie. The first attempt to confine a great white shark within its “four walls” was made in the mid-1950s by the Marineland of the Pacific aquarium in California. Then the animal did not even live a day in captivity. Subsequent attempts to “domesticate” great white sharks were made by SeaWorld in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. All, like the first, led to the death of hunters or their release back into the wild within a few weeks.

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In 2004, the Monterey Bay Aquarium became the only facility where a great white shark could live a record 16+ days. The Predator actually managed to survive for several months. However, this is an exception to the rule.

The most recent attempt to tame a marine predator was made last year at the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan. Then the great white shark died within three days. Fortunately, no more aquariums tried to enslave great white sharks.

Dozens of unsuccessful attempts to capture great white sharks are proving to be a bad idea. And it’s not random, there’s a perfectly logical explanation for it.

Before anything else, the big problem is that the great white sharks are feeding – they are the archetypal apex predators. In the wild, sharks would have to starve as they could not feed on live prey. As a result, aquarium staff trying to tame predators have often observed that sharks refuse to eat enough.

lattergreat white sharks can’t stand still – they must always move forward so that the water can pass through their gills and saturate them with oxygen.

the third, adult white sharks can reach about 6 meters in length, and therefore you will need a giant aquarium to keep them in comfortable conditions. And even if there is one, you are unlikely to make money from it – after all, visitors will hardly like to travel such great distances to look after a predator.

It is interesting that scientists once documented the journey of the largest white shark named Nicole, which traveled more than 20,000 kilometers from Africa to Australia and returned in 9 months.

Fourthsharks are extremely inhibited by the artificial environment of a glass aquarium – the fact is that they can confuse the incredibly sharp electrical reception of sharks.

Focus previously wrote that he painted a portrait of a GPS-enabled great white shark in the ocean.