Created by Kelly Hunt for the Atlantic City Aquarium, 2007

The Whitespotted

Bamboo Shark,

C h i l o s c y l l i u m

plagiosum, is a

smal l , mos t ly

nocturnal, species

that is harmless to

humans. As an

adult, its size is

a p p r o x i m a t e l y

three feet in

length. Whitespot-

t e d B a m b o o

Sharks feed mostly

on small fish and

i n v e r t e b r a t e s .

They are common-

ly found in coral

reefs in the Pacif-

ic Ocean.

The Whitespot-

ted Bamboo Shark

belongs to the

order Orectolobi-

formes, also

known as carpet

sharks. There are

39 species of

shark in this

order, and they

are named as

such because

many members

have carpet-like

patterned mark-

ings. Two well-

known species of

carpet sharks are

nurse sharks and

whale sharks.

Touch Tank Tales

Whitespotted Bamboo Sharks

Welcome to a unique, interac-tive experience for your students and you! Join us on the 2nd floor of the aquarium and enter the world of sharks and rays.

In our 900

gallon touch tank, your students will have the oppor-tunity to interact with two types of rays—Cownose Rays and Southern Rays, as well as with the Whitespotted Bamboo Shark.

These friendly creatures are sure to capture your students’ atten-tion!

Special points of interest:

900 gallon of water are in the touch tank.

Three unique species live here.

Whitespotted Bamboo Sharks grow to three feet in length.

Cownose Rays are the most common ray in our area.

The disk of the Southern Ray can grow up to six feet in diameter.

Touch Tank Tales 1

Whitespotted Bamboo Sharks 1

Cownose Rays 2

Southern Rays 2

Key Vocabulary 2

Internet Resources 2

Inside this issue:

F

ish

Ta

les

AT

LA

NT

IC

C

IT

Y A

QU

AR

IU

M

Atlantic City Aquarium

800 N. New Hampshire Avenue

Atlantic City, NJ 08401

609-348-2880

www.acaquarium.com

Created by Kelly Hunt for the Atlantic City Aquarium, 2007

worms. Though docile creatures, Southern Rays have long, whip-like tails with one or two sharp barbs which are used for defense.

The Southern Ray is another common ray that is found along the Atlantic Coast. This ray is a bottom feeder, and can often be found buried in the soft sands of the ocean floor. It has a flat, diamond-shaped body, with a brown upper-body and white under-belly. It can grow to a diameter of over six feet, and weighs nearly 200 pounds.

The diet of the Southern Ray consists of bony fish, crabs, clams, shrimp, and marine

The Cownose Ray is the most

common ray in the region,

ranging from southern New

England to Florida and the Gulf

of Mexico. They are found in

both ocean and bay environ-

ments. These rays can grow to

over 35 pounds, and span over

three feet from “wingtip to

wingtip”.

Cownose Rays eat clams, as

well as other shellfish and in-

vertebrates. After finding prey,

the ray uses its pectoral fins to

dig deep depressions in the

sand. Then, they suck the sand

through their mouths and out

their gill slits. Its mouth,

located on its underside, has

powerful grinding plates that the

ray uses to crush clams and other

invertebrates it sucks up. It will

then spit out the hard shells and

eat the soft body parts.

Though these rays are

considered docile, they do have

poisonous stingers at the base of

their tail, close to the ray’s body,

like other rays. These stingers,

called spines, are laced with toxic

venom, but it doesn't usually

inflict damage to humans. A sting

would likely possess symptoms

similar to that of a bee sting.

Cownose Rays are known for their

long migrations in large schools. As

they swim through the water,

people often confuse them for

sharks. This is because when their

wingtips break the surface, they

resemble the dorsal fins of sharks.

Pectoral fin—side fin of a ray

Invertebrate—animals without backbones

Nocturnal—of the night

Schools—groups of sea creatures that travel together

Docile—calm

Page 2

Southern Rays

You Won’t Hear Moos From These Cows!

Key Vocabulary Internet Resources

FI S H TA LES

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/blueplanet/sounds/sounds.html—Discovery Channel—hear the sound of a Cownose Ray

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-spotted_bamboo_shark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cownose_ray

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_stingray