עולם הכרישים

A rough skinned and spotted shark known for its long tail, which is half the length of its body!

Zebra sharks are nocturnal and spend most of the day chilling out on the seabed or reef wall. This takes a dramatic turn at nighttime, when they become active hunters.

Though solitary during most of the year they form large groups in some seasons.

They are calm and non-aggressive in nature towards humans.

At our shark pool, you can meet our impressive female Zebra shark called Leah.

Sting-rays belong to a group of sea rays and are related distantly to sharks. They are cartilaginous fish ( they have a skeleton of cartilage).

The sting-ray in our shark pool is called Amit. Amit is extremely friendly and has been a resident at the Underwater Observatory for several years. He loves to eat oysters and we handfeed him these, in order to maintain personal contact with him.

After feeding, Amit loves to be petted and rubs himself on the feeder's hands. Like other rays from the sting-ray family, Amit has a very long tail with two venomous spines.

Sting-rays use these spines to temporarily paralyze and neutralize their attackers, for a few moments, giving them time to escape.

Sting-rays are not dangerous to humans and use their spines for protection only.

With their intimidating hammer shaped heads and eyes on either side, Hammerhead sharks can really get the blood pumping.

Like the eyes, its nostrils are also found at the ends of the ''hammer", whilst the eyes, placed on either side of its head, give this shark its'

360 ° panoramic vision.

The structure, along with the habit of moving its head from side to side in a wide span when swimming, allows this shark to detect odors in a large area of water and hunt more effectively.

The Sandbar shark is one of the biggest coastal sharks and is known for its high dorsal fin. It lives in sandy underwater areas at depths ranging from 5-300 meters and is unlikely to be spotted at the waters' surface.

Pregnancy is a bit on the long side for Sandbar sharks, gestation taking 12 months, after which they give birth to between 6-13 live pups.

It is believed that after the Suez Canal was excavated, these sharks migrated from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

Although not thought to be dangerous to humans, because of size and their closeness to reefs, it's better to keep a safe distance.

Recognizable by the prominent black spots on the tips of its fins, the Blacktip Reef shark is common in the Red Sea.

These sharks, the athletes of the inshore, are fast and agile and are found in small schools that live on 'Coral Reef tables'.

Blacktip Reef Sharks reach sexual maturity at 4 years old for males, and 7 for females. Like the majority of sharks, they give birth to live sharks - instead of laying eggs.

These sharks are not known to be dangerous to humans.

.כריש שחור סנפיר מאופיין בכתמים שחורים בקצות הסנפירים הוא הנפוץ בין כרישי ים סוף ומצוי בלהקות קטנות על "שולחן שונית האלמוגים". כרישים אלה, הידועים כזריזים וגמישים משריצים כרישים חיים ולא ביצים. הזכרים מגיעים לבגרות מינית בגיל 4 .והנקבות רק בגיל 7 ואינו נחשב מסוכן לאדם

This is a deep-water shark, famous for its impressive and numerous large teeth!

The lower jaw of a Bignose will across a lifetime, support 14-15 rows of teeth, and the upper jaw a remarkable 16 rows of teeth.

In that lifetime, which is an average of fifty years, Bignose sharks will only reach sexual maturity at 20 years old, almost halfway through.

This shark is relatively rare, probably due to its secluded habitat, in the depths.

It may be dangerous to humans.