Georgia Aquarium Question about the sharks at Georgia Aquarium

CarLover

CarLover

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I have a question regarding the species of shark at Sharks! Predators of the Deep. Do they still have tiger sharks? I hope to one day go to the Georgia Aquarium and be able to see the many animals there that I would not be able to see anywhere else. I look at pictures posted by guests on social media, and the majority of the pictures are simply of the main exhibit with the whale shark. The aquarium's website says there still are tiger sharks present.
 
I had the same question a while back. They tend to hide in the upper/darker parts of the tank so they're very difficult to photograph or catch on the webcam. The exhibit in general is pretty low-light and not easy to photograph.

I'll personally be surprised if they're able to keep them long-term but so far, so good.
 
Nice! I was not aware they had tigers, I may have to make more of an effort to get there again sooner rather than later. FWIW, Florida Aquarium briefly held tigers when it first opened....but they didn't make it that long.
 
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CarLover said:
I got to go soon, I don't know how long they last in captivity. I know I'm never going to see a living great white in an aquarium.
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Yeah.... You may see more of either, but great whites are less likely. If it happens again in the USA I would fly out the same week.
 
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Forget tiger sharks, do they still have swell and silky sharks? They were listed in the April 2023 species list but are not currently on the website.
 
Persephone said:
Forget tiger sharks, do they still have swell and silky sharks? They were listed in the April 2023 species list but are not currently on the website.
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yes, they still have both species. Swell Sharks are in cold water quest and Silky sharks used to be in the Shark exhibit but are now in Ocean Voyager. the keeper there told me that the Silky's were getting bullied by the larger sharks which is why they moved them.
 
Is this thread referring to the "true" Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier. Or the Sand Tiger Shark Carcharias taurus which is much more common in public aquariums.
 
The tiger shark they have currently, a staff member mentioned she had trouble eating until the keepers switched to feeding her steak and chicken. This shark also frequently swims near the water's surface, since the species is known for hunting there.
 
From what I gathered from staff/aquarist inquiries (I dove in S: PotD when I was there in 2022), the big female tiger that is the last remaining one was selected to stay in the exhibit alone because she didn’t get along with the two smaller ones. I’ve no idea where those two were ultimately sent, they may have just been released back into the wild or perhaps are still at an offsite facility. Semi-relatedly, they sent two great hammerheads, Dutch and Dillon, to SeaWorld Orlando from their collection originally intended for the exhibit. If for some reason the tigers are still being held somewhere offsite, I do wish they might consider loaning them to another suitable facility if there is one, but realistically I know such a place may not exist in the US.

Additionally, I’m told from a friend who recently visited and asked the staff that the last of their silky sharks passed away recently (i.e. in the last year). :(
 
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CarLover said:
I will never see one. I will never get to the aquarium in the near future, it is too far from me, and I have no means to get there.
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I wouldn’t be so down on yourself, you definitely could find your way there someday. And to give you a little more hope, the tiger is apparently eating and doing well, which is all the species really needs; they’ve been known to survive for 20+ years in captivity so long as their space is adequate, their food is to their liking, and nothing unexpected occurs. An aquarium in Mexico (I think Guadalajara?) that is significantly less advanced than GA pulled that off in the 2000s, so I’m confident GA could do it. That gives you plenty of time.
 
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