HOUSTON – If you haven't been, you've probably seen it -- the 500,000 gallon aquatic escape at Houston's Downtown Aquarium in the middle of the city's burgeoning downtown.
With more than 400 species of fish, there can be a lot to look at, but this weekend's focus will be on one of the largest predators in the oceanic food chain -- sharks.
This weekend, the Downtown Aquarium will be hosting several unique "fin-tastic" events as part of Shark Weekend.
PHOTOS: Sharks at Downtown Aquarium
"Shark Weekend is super important because it brings attention to these animal species," Kari McKeehan, Downtown Aquarium's curator for fish, said. "In the wild, they're just getting decimated. Their numbers are getting lower and lower every year because of overhunting and shark finning, which is incredibly detrimental to their wild population."
The weekend will include an interactive dive show, a Q&A with a shark diver, a conservation station exhibit, fish feeding, an appearance from "Sharkey" the mascot, arts and crafts and storytelling for children.
Sharks and conservation have always been a focus since the aquarium's inception. The Shark Voyage train will guests on a tour through a tunnel underneath a massive tank holding 17 sharks. While in the tunnel, guests experience an up-close view of the sharks, including eight-foot sand tiger sharks, an eight-foot sawfish and other varieties like brown sharks.
"This is our 135,000 gallon shark tank. We have five different species of sharks and 17 sharks in total in this tank, including our largest animal in the aquarium our female sawfish," McKeehan said. "In the wild, sawfish are critically endangered, so this may be your only chance to get to see one in real life."
McKeehan said the sawfish is in the shark family but considered a ray. Its mouth, like a sting ray, is located underneath its body.
"They use their saw for catching and stunning prey. It's incredibly hydrodynamic. It's flat, and they can move it very, very quickly to stun their prey and slide it down into their mouth, which is on the bottom of their body," she said.
Divers maintain the tank and feed the sharks often. Each shark is fed by species and in different corners of the tank. Humans and sharks are rarely if ever in the tanks at the same time.
Sandtiger sharks are the largest "shark" in the tank --10 feet long and weighing more than 250 pounds. They are identified by their rows of sharp teeth.
Brown sharks are frequently found off the coast of Galveston. Brown sharks are an average of 5-7 feet in length and are the most aggressive feeders in the exhibit. The aquarium's brown shark gave birth to six pups Thursday last week.
White tip reef sharks sit at the bottom of the tank. Those sharks tend to rest inside caves, unlike other sharks who need to move to breathe.
Shark Weekend will take place Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16, all day.
Find a full list of Shark Weekend events here.
If you are interested in other aquatic animals, there are approximately 500,000 gallons of underwater tanks featuring more than 400 species of marine life and mammals. There is also a stingray exhibit. Guests can touch and feed stingrays.
Sting Ray -- proper way to feed - Downtown Aquarium @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/LoFe0XF6gd
— KPRC2 Rose-Ann Aragon (@KPRC2RoseAnn) July 12, 2017
Guests can meander through the exhibits, traveling through a Louisiana swamp, descending into a ship wreck, exploring the Amazon Rainforest, visiting a sunken temple and more.
Some of the colorful and exotic species found in the exhibit include snapping turtles, alligators, electric eels, goliath groupers, poison arrow frogs, fresh water stingrays, parrots, piranhas, seahorses, archerfish and a 20-foot long, 300-pound reticulated python.
