SHARKS are being taught to come, feed and even roll over in a jaw-dropping program in north Queensland.
Handlers have been training leopard sharks, much like dolphins, as part of the captive breeding scheme at Townsville’s Reef HQ.
“It’s a big leap forward for both shark and human,” said Fred *Nucifora, head of Reef HQ, the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium.
“We have to handle them a lot with monthly medical checks as part of the captive breeding program.
“So it is less stressful for the shark and the keepers if we can train the sharks to respond using a target and reward system.”
Moe, the five-year-old breeding male, is a star of the show, very playful, and loves having his belly scratched.
Moe is also known as a carpet shark, a species that’s highly sought after by collectors for the world’s aquaria. He spends a lot of time on the ocean floor, is quite placid and poses no threat to *humans – he doesn’t have teeth, but rows of ridges that are perfect for crushing the shells of molluscs and shellfish.
Mr Nucifora said breeding the sharks was about reducing the ecological footprint on the Great Barrier Reef.
“Every pup we breed here is one less caught in the world,” he said.
When they are born, leopard pups have a zebra-like pattern, *believed to mimic the banded sea snake in their striped form, which turns into spots as adults. Leopard sharks are also listed as vulnerable to extinction due to overfishing and habitat degradation.
