Sand Tiger Sharks To Leave Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Serrated rows of teeth. Cold, unblinking eyes. Sharks have fascinated our species for untold generations. That includes the popular sand tigers of Pittsburgh.
"We have five sand tiger sharks here," says Dwayne Biggs, director of aquatic life at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. "And aquarists are cleaning it out in preparations for the last weekend to come out and see them at the Pittsburgh Zoo."
He says the three and four hundred pound predators will be transported to Florida
"Georgia Aquarium is a state of the art new facility in Florida, in Marineland, and one area that is designed for breeding sharks. So these sand tigers are going to be part of some other animals there, and the hope is to have the first born sand tiger sharks in captivity."
He says they'll make the trip in a very specialized semi.
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"This truck was designed just for big sharks. and all the animals will fit very comfortably inside of the tank. And they'll make the trip all the way to Florida."
Meanwhile, divers collect shark's teeth as they clean the tank.
Once these big guys leave town, an even bigger fellow will move in to replace them: an elephant seal named Coolio. He was found on a California beach, emaciated and nearly blind.
"He's been here a little over two years now, adjusting to his new habitat upstairs," Biggs says.
He'll be sixteen feet long and weigh three thousand pounds when he reaches adulthood. But the shark tank will be big enough to hold him.
