Portal de Murcia
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On September 19 took place the birth of two shark pups, a male and a female, in the Aquarium of the University of Murcia.
It is the fifth consecutive year that the pair of white-tipped sharks of the species Triaenodon obesus, stop their offspring in the Aquarium, so it can be considered as a stable reproductive group.
The AcuariUM is a pioneering center among European public aquariums in captive breeding of this species.
During these five years a thorough and systematic monitoring of the reproductive process has been carried out and a great amount of information has been obtained on the biology and the behavior of the species, results that will be published soon in specialized magazines.
With the arrival of Rector Orihuela to the rectorate, in May 2014, the aquarium of the University of Murcia became dependent on the Vice-Rectorate of Research, in order to enhance the research facet of this university structure.
In addition to its educational and dissemination objectives, the researcher is a priority objective that aims to plan and carry out research on certain aspects of marine organisms.
With this objective, it develops several lines of work, among which the one of facilitating the creation and consolidation of other reproductive groups of sharks of white reef points in different public aquariums.
To this end, Collaboration Agreements have been activated with different Centers.
The creation and establishment of these breeding groups in other public aquariums will have the information and experience obtained by the research team of the Aquarium of the University.
In this line the AcuariUM has already provided specimens born in this center, the Aquarium of Madrid and the Oceanografic of Valencia.
Whitetip reef sharks are listed as a threatened species in the Red Book of endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It is a species that lives in close relation with the coral reefs, where it develops its life cycle.
Long ago it was a very common species, although in recent years due to overfishing, populations of this species, like many other species of sharks are in regression.
The main cause of the deterioration of shark populations around the world is disproportionate fishing for shark fins in Asian restaurants.
The populations of species that are at the top of the trophic pyramid of the sea are being drastically reduced, which can have catastrophic consequences.
It is necessary to reach an international agreement to regulate shark fishing and to provide the most affected species with an appropriate protection status.
Institutions such as the Aquarium of the University of Murcia work to conserve these species in their natural habitats, by obtaining knowledge about their biology, behavior and their ecosystem relationships.
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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