Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Love is in the air at Blue Planet Aquarium

Every year between the end of January and mid-May when the water is at its coldest and begins to warm up for summer, Blue Planet Aquarium has its annual Sand Tiger Shark mating season. During this time of year, the dynamics in the tank completely change, from what are usually slow moving and often sleeping sharks turn into fast moving Sharks who have only one thing on their mind.
In previous blogs I’ve mentioned how relaxed the Sharks are, but during this time the Sharks are at the complete opposite end of the scale, sometimes seeming oblivious to our presence, they can tend to almost “play chicken” with the divers, swimming very close, which can sometimes make us jump a little. Even with this change in behaviour however the animals are still quite easy to work with and we always respect their boundaries and rules as it is their home at the end of the day.
The changes in behaviour start around mid to late January with a huge reduction in appetite for all our Sand Tigers, they will go down to eating almost nothing throughout the mating season, we even have them spit food out after grabbing it.
The next sign usually starts with the males moving a lot faster and will duck and dive between the different levels in the tank, it can be chaotic one day and then almost nothing the next, on the opposite end the females will slow right down and tend to spend a large amount of time either on or near the bottom.
It is like this for about a month before the action really starts, the next sign is what’s known as “tracking”, this is where you will have the female of interest at the front with the alpha male close behind her, with the subordinate males trailing behind him. This happens for a couple of weeks until around March where the height of mating season starts, after a month or so of tracking and a little bit of bickering there will be an “alpha” male who will control mating in the tank. Alpha males will then protect the area where females are congregating and will then force less dominant males out by snapping their jaws at them, snapping tends to be enough to force males out, however seeing bite marks on the males is not uncommon.
When Sharks mate the males tend to bite the females around their pectoral fins or on their sides, this is done to help hold themselves in place during mating and to make it easier to mate by slowing the female down, females will often resist but will concede due to the extra weight, this could be the female testing the male’s fitness, but we honestly don’t know. The male sharks sex organs are known as Claspers, two small appendages that trail behind the Sharks pelvic fins and its these that transfer the Sperm to the female during mating, they have two so that they’re able to effectively mate no matter what side they approach the female on.
When males are finished and let go, they can sometimes leave teeth embedded in the females which will fall out after a few days and don’t affect the female long term, this does often result with toothless males during mating season, and even for a short time after it has finished, which our guests are often surprised to see gummy Sand Tigers in our exhibit. Along with having toothless males the females also become covered from nose to tail in love bites, and during rather amorous seasons the dive team will refer to the females as pin cushion Sharks due to how much they resemble pin cushions, never fear however because mere days after mating season has finished most, if not all, of the wounds on a female would have healed and results in very minor scarring or marks.
Females will mate with numerous males throughout a season, moving between different areas and mating with many alpha males who control those areas, in the case of Blue Planets main tank our males tend to gain and lose alpha status rather regularly, thus allowing them mating rights. Female Sand Tigers have two Uterus’s which can contain up to 5 pups each. After the mating season is over, females become pregnant in a rather remarkable way. Sand Tigers are known as oophagous which is where the developing embryos will feed on undeveloped eggs produced by the mother throughout her 9–12-month pregnancy.
But that’s not all, once an individual or individuals reach a certain size, they will actually turn on their sibling and begin to feed on them, this is called intrauterine cannibalism. This will continue until there is a single fully toothed pup in each uterus, however triplets have been recorded which believed to be two individuals from the same womb who were full sibling who teamed up, and one from the other womb.
This method of eating siblings is believed to be an adaptation by male Sand Tigers with whom who can father the most well-armed, active hunting embryos as described by a scientist called Damian Chapman.
Unfortunately, Blue Planet has never had a captive natural birth in our main exhibit now there could be many reasons as to why this is the case, and we have a few theories amongst the team but unfortunately, we just can’t say for certain what those are. The reasons as to why they aren’t breeding is something that been discussed for many years in aquariums across the globe as unfortunately captive breeding very limited with only a handful of recorded births worldwide.
Sand Tiger Sharks have one of the lowest reproductive rates of any Shark Species giving birth to only two pups every other year as the females take a rest year in between, on top of this Sand Tigers don’t become sexually mature until they’re between 6-7 if they’re a male, females will not become mature until they’re 9-10 this on top of the fact that the maximum lifespan recorded for a Sand Tiger in the wild is 15-17 years means that to be generous, a female may only give birth to a maximum of 16 pups throughout their lifetime. Now these natural adaptations have served them well throughout the last 450 million years but now they are a handicap.
Sand Tigers are unfortunately at threat, with some populations such as those in Europe, the Mediterranean and Eastern Australia classified as Critically Endangered. Sand Tiger Sharks were also the first Shark species to be put on the endangered species list and given full protection which was first done in Australia.
With all the odds stacking against them its now even more imperative that we learn more about these incredible animals and how to breed them effectively to create a captive population as a contingency plan in case things in the wild take a nosedive. Therefore, Zoos and Aquariums are important to the wild members of a species with housed members of the species, helping ensure their survival and as acting as ambassadors to the wild ancestors by educating our guests and the public for many years to come. Now rest assured although we haven’t yet been able to breed Sand Tiger Sharks in our main exhibit, we’re working hard to better understand and figure out how we can in the not-so-distant future.
For more about Blue Planet Aquarium visit their website by click here.
Blogs
Evolution of Manatees in Florida

Op-ed by Beth Brady, PhD, Senior Science and Conservation Associate, Save the Manatee® Club
Recent news articles and broadcasts have claimed that manatees are not native to Florida or only arrived on Florida’s west coast in the 1950s. These claims, based on limited anthropological records, point to where manatees were historically exploited by humans and assume that a lack of evidence means manatees were absent from certain areas. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence—it’s like looking for stars in the daytime; just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. Moreover, genetic and fossil evidence indicate manatees have been present in Florida for the last 12,000 years.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which manages Florida manatee populations, has created a manatee timeline highlighting key dates and notable information about manatee presence in Florida (https://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/timeline/). Historical records suggest that manatees have been observed in Florida as far back as the 1500s, with some details presented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife timeline aligning with evidence presented in the publication.
Manatee species, such as the African manatee and the Antillean manatee, continue to be poached by humans (Marsh et al., 2022). As a result, these species are difficult to observe in the wild and may adapt by foraging at night to avoid human encounters (Rycyk et al., 2021). This behavior could help explain why historical Florida manatee populations that were hunted by humans are absent from middens and rarely mentioned in historical accounts.
Further, the publication only briefly touches on the paleontological record and genetic evidence, which indicate that manatees have existed in Florida for a much longer period. Fossil and genetic evidence reveal a rich history of manatees in Florida. Manatees belong to the order Sirenia, which includes the Amazonian, African, and West Indian manatee species. While Sirenian fossils have been found globally, only Florida and the Caribbean contain specimens from every epoch over the past 50 million years (Reep and Bonde, 2006). The modern manatee, as we know it, emerged in the Caribbean about 2 million years ago (Domning, 1982).
The evolution of manatees during the Pleistocene epoch provides valuable insights into how environmental changes shaped their distribution and genetic diversity. During the Pleistocene epoch (2.59 million to 11,700 years ago), there were roughly 20 cycles of long glacial periods (40,000–100,000 years) followed by shorter interglacial periods lasting around 20,000 years. At the start of these warmer periods, Caribbean manatees migrated northward with the warming waters (Reep and Bonde, 2006). Water currents and thermal barriers isolated these manatees from populations in Mexico and the Caribbean, leading to genetic divergence. Fossil evidence indicates that Trichechus manatus bakerorum lived in Florida and North Carolina about 125,000 years ago but did not survive the last glacial period, which began 100,000 to 85,000 years ago (Domning, 2005). This subspecies was eventually replaced by modern Florida manatees.
This evolutionary theory is further supported by genetic evidence. Research indicates that Florida manatees trace their evolutionary origins to Caribbean ancestors that migrated northward over the past 12,000 years (Garcia-Rodriguez et al., 1998). A 2012 study by Tucker et al. reinforces this theory, showing higher genetic diversity in manatees on Florida’s west coast compared to those on the east. Over time, core populations migrated northward, with some groups moving south and east along the Florida coastline before heading north along the Atlantic. This migration pattern left the west coast population with greater genetic diversity, while the east coast population retained only a smaller subset. These findings suggest that the founding population of Florida manatees—arriving approximately 12,000 years ago—originated along Florida’s southwestern coast, which became the center of the state’s manatee population (Reep and Bonde, 2006). The process of vicariance further supports this hypothesis; as geographic and ecological barriers emerged, they likely isolated the Florida manatee populations from their Caribbean ancestors. This isolation likely limited migration back and forth between regions, fostering the establishment of local populations in southwestern Florida.
Manatees are not only a cherished symbol of Florida’s natural heritage but also a species with deep evolutionary and historical ties to the region. In sum, despite recent claims questioning their nativity, extensive fossil and genetic evidence confirms that manatees have been present in Florida’s waters for thousands of years, with ancestors dating back over 12,000 years. We agree with the authors of the published article that protecting these iconic creatures and their habitats is essential to preserving Florida’s unique ecological identity for future generations
Beth Brady is the Senior Science and Conservation Associate at Save the Manatee Club whose work focuses on manatee biology and conservation. She has her PhD from Florida Atlantic University and her Master’s in Marine Science from Nova Southeastern University.
Blogs
Saba’s Plan for a Coral Comeback

Saba has an exciting new initiative to restore its coral reefs. This new project, running from 2024 to 2026, will focus on reviving key species in the island’s underwater ecosystems. With a collaborative team from the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) and Van Hall Larenstein (VHL) University of Applied Sciences, the project aims to restore both corals as well as sea urchins.
This initiative is centered around coral restoration, specifically reviving two essential coral species—staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata). By mapping parent colonies and using a technique known as coral gardening, SCF will create and maintain coral nurseries. These corals will eventually be outplanted at key reef sites around Saba to not only expand the number of coral colonies, but also provide essential fish habitat. The project focusses on installing coral nurseries, training staff with the newest techniques and starting with the restoration of key reef sites.
Reef Cleaners to the Rescue
It’s not just corals getting a makeover—this project also shines a spotlight on the essential role of grazers, particularly sea urchins. VHL is leading the charge on cultivating and restocking two key sea urchin species, West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes) and long-spined sea urchin (Diadema), known for their ability to keep algae in check. By removing algae, which are important competitors of corals, they help the coral to thrive. By restoring these “reef cleaners,” Saba’s project will give corals the breathing room they need to grow, setting the stage for a healthier, more balanced marine ecosystem.
From Tiny Urchins to Big Goals
The project will be funded as part of the Dutch Government’s Nature and Environment Policy Plan (NEPP) 2020-2030 for the Caribbean Netherlands, a comprehensive initiative aimed at conserving and restoring the unique natural environments of the Dutch Caribbean islands, including Saba, St. Eustatius, and Bonaire. This project is aiming for big milestones: build and maintaining coral nurseries, the expansion of urchin cultivation facilities, and the creation of a dedicated research center. By 2026, the project hopes to ramp up coral and grazer restoration, with the ultimate goal of extending these efforts across the Dutch Caribbean. By linking local initiatives to broader regional goals, Saba’s restoration project promises to leave a lasting impact on both the environment and the community.
Find out more about the DCNA at dcnanature.org.
-
Gear Reviews4 weeks ago
Gear Review: SurfEars 4
-
Blogs3 months ago
Scubaverse Christmas Gift Guide 2024: Day 4
-
News3 months ago
Santa Divers take the Plunge for Charity
-
Blogs3 months ago
Scubaverse Christmas Gift Guide 2024: Day 1
-
Blogs3 months ago
Scubaverse Christmas Gift Guide 2024: Day 5
-
Blogs3 months ago
Scubaverse Christmas Gift Guide 2024: Day 2
-
Marine Life & Conservation2 months ago
Paul Watson Released as Denmark Blocks Japan’s Extradition Bid
-
Blogs3 months ago
Scubaverse Christmas Gift Guide 2024: Day 3