Animale
Australian marbled catshark
Atelomycterus macleayi. A small Australian shark bred in Gdynia.
Lingua dei contenuti
The Australian marbled catshark reaches about 60 centimetres in length. Its world lies close to the bottom, among sand and rocks in the shallow waters of northwestern Australia. It is endemic to this region rather than naturally widespread around the world. Grey bands cross its slender brownish body, with dark dots scattered between them. Young animals have a simpler pattern dominated by transverse bands.
It searches for food among the small inhabitants of the seabed, eating bristle worms, molluscs, crustaceans and small fish. Its modest size and bottom-dwelling life differ from the familiar image of a large shark cruising through the open ocean.
The species is bred at Gdynia Aquarium. Females lay eggs whose cases have tendrils for attaching them to the substrate. Keepers transfer the eggs to a hatchery and secure them in flowing water, which supplies oxygen to the developing embryos. A young fish's development can be observed through its egg case before it hatches.
Per bambini
A shark does not have to be huge. The Australian marbled catshark grows to about 60 centimetres, the length of two school rulers. It lives close to the bottom in shallow waters off northwestern Australia. Sand and rocks form its natural surroundings. Grey bands and dark dots mark its brownish body. Bands are a more prominent part of a young fish's pattern.
The shark finds small animals to eat on the seabed: crustaceans, molluscs, fish and bristle worms, marine animals with long bodies. Not all sharks hunt large prey in the open ocean.
Keepers in Gdynia breed Australian marbled catsharks. Females lay eggs in cases with thin tendrils. The keepers secure these eggs in a hatchery so that oxygen-carrying water flows around them. A young shark develops inside before it is ready to leave the case.
Domanda 1 di 2
Where does the Australian marbled catshark naturally occur?
- Posizione
- Aquatic Animals of the World, first floor, tank 506 · Gdynia Aquarium