17th May, 2009- 9.45 am, Dubai, UAE
Yesterday, my brother and bhabhi took me to the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo located in Dubai Mall, the world’s largest mall. This Kingdom sure has a thing for building the largest, biggest, tallest (and sometimes the stupidest things) in the world. Even the aquarium is the world’s largest indoor marine mammal pavilion. And on the way to Dubai Mall I also saw the world’s tallest tower in the making, Burj Dubai.
At first sight, the walkthrough tunnel leaves you staring wide eyed at the sharks that greet you right at the entrance. The tunnel houses five different species of sharks including the huge Sand Tiger Sharks and the comparatively smaller Reef Sharks among others. Never ever did I think that I would be seeing sharks on my visit to Dubai but I must agree that Dubai never fails to surprise me. On my last visit I was mesmerized by the Birds of Prey show which showcased raptors mostly from the European countries. And this time I witnessed marine life that I think was mostly picked up from Australian waters.
Coming back to the sharks, their sheer number at first shocked me and then I began to wonder how these aggressive creatures had been tamed and made to live in such large shoals. As far as I had heard predatory creatures prefer to be solitary. On getting back home, I checked up on the info about this aquarium and sure as hell I found a news excerpt detailing the shark fights that had occurred when the tunnel was being set up with over 40 shark deaths being reported due to shark fights. (Do we have another Jaws in the making? The only difference being its real and not reel.)
The disadvantages apart it is definitely an unforgettable learning experience. I don’t recall how much time I spent inside the tunnel. ( My brother and Bhabhi would remember better since they were the ones waiting outside for me.) I was dumbstruck at the sheer variety and size of the creatures that I saw before me. In addition to the sharks I have already mentioned (and criticized) there were rays (including stings rays and another species which the guide out there said was a combination of a ray from its back and a shark in the front), there were Giant Groupers which were HUGE. The local name of this fish is Hamoor. Its giantness is evident from the fact that it is more dangerous than a shark and is capable of swallowing an entire shark.
I have forgotten the name of the smallest fish in the tunnel. The guide said it’s the cleaner fish. I remember seeing that fish on Discovery or something. These fish act as cleaning stations. All the fish in the tank have to visit these fish if they wish to remain clean. These little fish enter inside the mouth of even the sharks and the sharks just let them do the cleaning up. (Mother nature’s miracles never cease to surprise me!) I remember seeing some moray eels in there as usual peeping out from some crevices in the rocks. There were shoals of a number of fish. The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater zoo has around 30,000 fish (if the guide is to be believed) but I haven’t found a list of any of the species present online. ( Wonder why?)
A word about the guide- The guide I interacted with was called Athman. Didn’t get a chance to really talk with him since he was surrounded with visitors asking him all sorts of (mostly stupid) questions like why don’t the sharks attack the divers or how thick is the glass and wont it break? But he sure did know some things. Most of my facts first came from him and were then verified online. The one thing I would always remember is him showing us how to differentiate between male and female sharks through their genital organs.
That is all about the tunnel. Now we can move to the Underwater zoo which was again a mesmerizing experience. First in line are the Piranhas. I remember seeing Piranhas at the Baroda Aquarium but I also recall how dingy the place was. This on the other hand is very well kept. From the piranhas onwards I saw marine creatures that I had always dreamt of seeing but never actually thought that I would see them so soon. ( But the dream of seeing them in the wild still remains close to my heart…one day…) Here’s a checklist-
Otters
Water rats
Arowanas
Turtles
Archerfish
Lungfish
Tiger fish
American Paddlefish
Motoro Ray
Poison Dart Frog
Stonefish
Soapfish
Lionfish
Clown Anemone fish
Sea Anemone
Sea Cucumber
Star fish
Spiny Lobster
Sea Urchin
Jelly fish
Bat fish
Domino
Blue Tang, Yellow Tang
Green Chromis
Clown Trigger
Giant Guitarfish
Bat Ray
Stingray
Thornback Ray
Leopard Ray
Eagle Ray
Blue Spotted Stingray
Harbour Seal
Spotted Seahorse
Thorny Seahorse
Flashlight Fish
Pine Cone Fish
Chambered Nautilus
Sea Dragons
Moray Eel
Garden Eel
Humboldt Penguin
One of the guides picked up the Spiny Lobster for me to touch. Seals and penguins were another surprise. There I was staring at about a dozen penguins in front of me. It was like stepping into a show that I was watching on Animal Planet. Life never should cease to surprise you and my visit to Dubai has definitely had its share of surprises already.
I began by talking about the drawbacks of housing so many sharks in the tunnel. I forgot to mention that this is the world’s single largest school of sharks. Not many people would get to see these creatures up close and personal but in the race to be the biggest in everything, it seems the authorities are forgetting that these creatures are of flesh and blood just like us. By bringing these creatures closer to people, who would otherwise remain ignorant of them, the authorities have definitely done a great service to mankind but they should combine this with certain educational activities not just for children but for adults as well.
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