If your favourite animals are sharks and other apex predators, sign up for Singapore Oceanarium‘s new guided experience, Ocean in Focus: Apex Predators! Visitors will enter the world of sharks and other predators in this exclusive tour behind-the-scenes to learn about the sea creatures on top of the food chain.
Here are the highlights of the 60-minute programme.
Ocean in Focus: Apex Predators
The guided tour is done in small groups of maximum 12 people. Sign up for the tour then gather at the VIP lounge where some snacks and drinks are served. Each attendee is given a special lanyard and a Dunkleosteus plushie keychain.
Understanding Apex Predators & The Very First Predators
Did you know sea jellies are one little-known predator? We were introduced to the term apex predator and told by our guide Brenna on how jellyfish use venomous stinging tentacles to hunt and capture prey like zoo plankton, tiny crustaceans and small fish.
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Then we headed to Ancient Waters zone to take a closer look at the “ancestors” of sharks like the Anomalocaris replica, Dunkleosteus replica and Megalodon tooth. The Anomalocaris was a fearsome super-predator from the Cambrian period using appendages to catch prey.
The Dunkleosteus replica was also reflective of its size and it can grow up to six metres in length. Learning how the Dunkleosteus could be so large made us rethink how much less scarier the sharks of today are.
Support Areas & Animal Care Specialists
Next came the highlight of the Ocean in Focus tour. Tour participants are given the chance to enter the support area which is strictly inaccessible to the public.
We got to go behind-the-scenes to find out how the sharks were fed. The marine animals are actually fed a few times through different feeding methods. Tour participants can view the broadcast feeding in the morning, while guests can view the target feeding in the afternoon. Dive feeding is dependent on the schedule.
Shark spotting was my favourite. We got to see the Shark Seas habitat from a different perspective and spotted the different sharks like the Hammerhead Shark, Black-tipped Reef Shark, Sand Tiger Shark and more. Our guide also taught us how to differentiate between the males and females, as well as the unique behaviour of each kind of sharks.
Our guide also showed us the chainmail safety equipment that divers wear during feeding operations. It certainly seemed knight-like to feed the apex predators of the sea.
Real shark specimens were also shown to us. We could feel how sharp the teeth were of various shark species. I cannot fathom being bitten!
There was also a model of shark’s skin which felt surprisingly prickly – this allows them to swim really fast due to the dermal denticles which are miniature ridges that reduce drag.
One really cool experience was touching the leathery mermaid’s purse – also the pouches that protected the eggs of sharks for the species that lay eggs. Yes there are sharks that birth their young alive! However, sharks are considered fish rather than mammals.
Learning about the physical traits of sharks was such an eye-opener. The best thing was the hands-on experience that would thrill everyone including the little ones.
Back into Singapore Oceanarium & Doing Our Part for Conservation
With newly acquired knowledge, we headed back into Singapore Oceanarium. We were reminded of our roles to help keep ocean ecosystems thriving. For example, one action to take is to buy sustainably sourced fish with the Marine Stewardship Council certification. This keeps oceans from being overfished and maintaining a healthy food chain for the animals and human beings.
Priced at $39 per participant, the tour also comes with an immersive programmes lanyard, programme credential, shark species identification postcard and an exclusive Dunkleosteus plush keychain. It excludes admission to Singapore Oceanarium.
Sessions are conducted twice daily in English at 9.30am and 1.30pm, except on Wednesday when only the 1.30pm session is available.
Make your bookings at Ocean in Focus: Apex Predators site.
