Living creature information
A first for the Kaiyukan Kaiyukan! A large shark called the Grey Shark is now on display
May 29, 2025
The Kaiyukan has begun exhibiting the grey nurse shark, a species of Kaiyukan that has never been exhibited before.
Left: Male Right: Female
The grey shark is a large shark that can grow to over 4m in length.
Despite its fearsome appearance with its large, bared teeth, it has a gentle personality and lives in coral reefs, shallow offshore waters, and underwater caves.
Two fish, a 2.7m female and a 2.5m male, were brought to the "Pacific Ocean" tank from Tokai University Marine Science Museum.
They have now gotten used to their new environment, and you can see them swimming leisurely in the tank and eating the food given to them by the aquarium keeper during their twice-daily " Feeding Time ."
| Exhibition location | "Pacific Ocean" tank |
|---|---|
| Display specimen | ・Female: Total length 2.7m Delivery date: Monday, May 12, 2025 ・Male: Total length 2.5m Delivery date: Thursday, May 15, 2025 |
About the Grey Shark
English name: Sand tiger shark
Scientific name: Carcharias taurus
A large shark that can reach over 4m in length. It inhabits warm seas such as coral reefs and shallow offshore waters, and in Japan is found in the southern Japanese waters including the Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands. It hides in underwater caves during the day and is nocturnal, active at night, feeding mainly on other fish. Contrary to its fearsome appearance, it has a gentle personality. It is viviparous, has two uteruses, and can give birth to up to two young, each about 1m in length, at one time. The fetuses are known to grow by eating other eggs and siblings in the uterus.
Latest News
-
2025.05.29
Living creature information
A first for the Kaiyukan Kaiyukan! A large shark called the Grey Shark is now on display
Kaiyukan has begun exhibiting the "Sand Shark." This is the first time this species has been exhibited at Kaiyukan. Left: Male Right: Female The Sand Shark is a large shark that is over 4m long. Contrary to their fearsome appearance with their large teeth bared, they have a docile personality and live in coral reefs, shallow offshore waters, and underwater caves. Two sharks, a 2.7m long female and a 2.5m long male, were brought to the "Pacific Ocean" tank from the Tokai University Marine Science Museum. They have now gotten used to their new environment, swimming leisurely in the tank and eating food provided by the aquarium keeper during " Feeding Time " twice a day. Exhibit location: "Pacific Ocean" tank . Individuals on display: Female: 2.7m in length, delivered on Monday, May 12, 2025. Male: 2.5m in length, delivered on Thursday, May 15, 2025. About the Sand Tiger Shark: English name: Sand tiger shark. Scientific name: Carcharias taurus. A large shark with a total length of over 4m. It inhabits warm seas such as coral reefs and shallow offshore waters, and in Japan, it is found in the southern Japanese waters including the Izu Seven Islands and the Ogasawara Islands. It hides in underwater caves during the day and is nocturnal, active at night, feeding mainly on other fish. Contrary to its fearsome appearance, it has a gentle personality. It is viviparous, has two uteruses, and produces up to two young with a total length of about 1m per breeding. The fetuses are known to grow by eating other eggs and siblings in the uterus.
-
2025.04.24
Living creature information
*Exhibition has ended. [First exhibit at Kaiyukan] We are exhibiting the "megalopa larvae" of the Japanese giant spider crab.
*Exhibition has ended. Starting from April 23rd, Japanese giant spider crab larvae hatched in the "Japan Deep" tank will be on display for a limited time at the aquarium keeper counter on the 4th floor of the entrance building. On Friday, March 7th, 2025, a aquarium keeper discovered a baby Japanese giant spider crab being born in the "Japan Deep" tank and raised it carefully in the back yard. Immediately after birth, Japanese giant spider crab babies are called "zoea larvae" and have a different appearance from adults. They grow into "megalopa larvae" by repeatedly molting, and then into "juvenile crabs" that look the same as adults. They have now grown into megalopa larvae (about 3 mm), so please take a look at the precious appearance of the world's largest crab, the Japanese giant spider crab, which can only be seen now. The growth of Japanese giant spider crab larvae is also introduced in the blog "Behind the Scenery of Kaiyukan". Period: 2025/04/23~ Kaiyukan Kaiyukan Entrance Building 4F aquarium keeper Counter Species: Japanese giant spider crab megalopa larvae (approximately 3mm in size) Approximately 5 pieces *Exhibition may be canceled suddenly depending on the condition of the creatures. Japanese giant spider crab English name: Japanese giant spider crab Scientific name: Macrocheira kaempferi The world's largest crab, with males reaching over 3m in length when their tines are spread. It is also the world's largest species of arthropod, a larger taxonomic group, and is found mainly in the waters off the coast of Japan, but has also been caught in Taiwan and other places. They usually live in deep sea areas, and are known to move to shallow waters in the spring to spawn.
-
2025.03.28
Living creature information
[Notice] Renovation work on the "Aleutian Islands" tank [From April 9th]
Please note that the "Aleutian Islands" tank will be closed to the public from April 9, 2025 due to preparations to improve the breeding environment. Construction is scheduled to be completed after autumn 2025. We plan to report on the life of the Tufted puffin puffins in the back yard on the "Behind the Scenes at Kaiyukan " blog on the Kaiyukan website.