Sharks Alive

🎓 Audience

Education: Grade(s) 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Teacher(s)/Educator(s), Parent, Adult Learners, Homeschool/Family, Learning Pod; Public Library: Library Patrons, Library Staff

• For younger learners (PK, K, 1, 2), explore our companion programs: Shark Baby or Smiley Shark.

 🐾 Topics

Career & Technical Education (CTE), Economics/Business, Health & Physical Education, Industrial Technology, Professional Development, Science, STEM, Technology/Information Science

🗂️ Format

• Introduction and Prior Knowledge: Introduction to sharks and their relatives, encouraging participants to share any facts or insights they’ve gathered beforehand.

• Segment 1 - Portal to the Gulf: Meet the sharks in our 400,000 gallon habitat, while learning about the physical characteristics, behaviors, and adaptations of sharks and rays.

• Video 1 - Shark Care and Husbandry: A short video is shown, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the specialized care and husbandry practices for sharks and rays at the aquarium.

• Segment 2 - Research and Conservation: Discover Mote’s innovative research and conservation efforts aimed at understanding and protecting sharks, rays, and skates through field studies and laboratory work.

• Video 2 - The Shark Lady: Explore the career of Mote’s founder, Dr. Eugenie Clark, the "Shark Lady" and the 70+ years of research at the lab.

• Segment 3 - Q&A Session: An interactive Q&A segment about sharks, stingrays, and conservation.

• Segments may vary due to weather and veterinary priorities. We will make every effort to deliver the segments as described but may use a combination of live and recorded video when necessary.

🎯 Objectives

1. Identify and describe the role of sharks and their relatives (rays and skates) within marine ecosystems, recognizing their importance as apex predators and their interactions with other species.

2. Examine the adaptations and lifecycles of different shark species, and how aquarium staff feed and care for sharks to maintain their health and wellbeing.

3. Investigate the impacts of human activities, such as overfishing, on shark populations and marine ecosystems, and evaluate conservation strategies to protect these vital species.

✏️ Standards this program supports

Next Generation Science Standards

• LS1A 3–5 –– Structure and function. Learners observe shark features like fins, gills, and teeth, and connect those structures to survival functions such as swimming, breathing, and feeding.

• LS1A 6–8 –– Structure and function. Learners explore internal and external shark anatomy, including specialized structures like the lateral line and ampullae of Lorenzini, to understand sensory adaptations and physiological function.

• LS1A 9–12 –– Structure and function. Learners analyze how shark body systems and sensory structures are adapted for efficient predation, navigation, and long-distance movement across marine habitats.

• LS2A 3–5 –– Interdependent relationships in ecosystems. Learners investigate the shark’s role as a predator and how its interactions with other species help maintain balance in ocean ecosystems.

• LS2A 6–8 –– Interdependent relationships in ecosystems. Learners evaluate the ecological importance of sharks in regulating prey populations and the potential impacts of their decline on marine food webs.

• LS2A 9–12 –– Interdependent relationships in ecosystems. Learners assess how the loss of apex predators like sharks can disrupt ecosystem structure and function, leading to cascading effects on biodiversity.

• LS2C 3–5 –– Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience. Learners explore how changes in shark populations—due to pollution, overfishing, or climate change—affect the resilience of marine ecosystems.

• LS2C 6–8 –– Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience. Learners analyze human-caused disruptions to shark populations and how these changes influence the stability of interconnected ocean systems.

• LS2C 9–12 –– Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience. Learners evaluate long-term ecological shifts caused by changes in shark populations, and how ecosystem resilience is affected by predator-prey relationships and environmental pressures.

• LS4C 3–5 –– Adaptation. The program highlights shark adaptations such as cartilage skeletons, replaceable teeth, and streamlined bodies that support survival in marine environments.

Ocean Literacy Principles

• • Ocean Literacy Principle #5 – The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

  • Ocean Literacy Principle #6 – The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• • 14 - Life Below Water

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)

• SC.3.L.15.1 – Classify animals into major groups based on physical characteristics and behaviors. Application: Students learn about sharks as vertebrates, their classification as elasmobranchs, and how they differ from other marine animals.

• SC.4.L.17.4 – Recognize ways plants and animals, including humans, can impact the environment. Application: The program discusses how sharks and marine life interact with their environment and the effects of human activities on them.

• SC.5.L.15.1 – Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new locations. Application: Students learn about elasmobranch adaptation and resilience in changing marine environments.

• SC.6.L.15.1 – Analyze how organisms are classified based on shared characteristics. Application: Students examine sharks within the Linnaean classification system and their distinguishing biological traits.

• SC.7.L.17.3 – Describe limiting factors in an ecosystem and their impact on populations. Application: The program investigates factors affecting shark populations, such as water quality, habitat availability, and disease.

• SC.8.N.4.2 – Explain how political, social, and economic concerns affect science and vice versa. Application: The program explores how shark conservation intersects with tourism, fisheries, and public perception of sharks.

• SC.912.L.17.8 – Recognize the consequences of the losses of biodiversity due to catastrophic events, climate changes, human activity, and the introduction of invasive, non-native species. Application: Students explore shark population decline and the role sharks play in maintaining biodiversity and healthy marine ecosystems.

• Adaptation: A physical or behavioral trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment; sharks have adaptations like specialized teeth and keen senses.

• Ampulla of Lorenzini: Special sensory organs found in sharks that detect electric fields produced by other animals, helping them locate prey even when hidden.

• Apex Predator: A predator at the top of a food chain, with no natural predators of its own; sharks are often considered apex predators.

• Bonnethead: A small species of hammerhead shark (Sphyrna tiburo) distinguished by its shovel-shaped head.

• Broadcast Feed: A method of feeding used in aquariums where food is dispersed into the water column to encourage natural foraging behaviors.

• Buoyancy: The ability of an object to float in water or other fluids. Sharks are negatively buoyant but have several adaptations to offset their tendency to sink.

• Bycatch: Marine animals unintentionally caught while fishing for other species; sharks are often captured as bycatch, which can threaten their populations.

• Cartilage: A flexible connective tissue found in sharks and other elasmobranchs, forming their skeletons instead of bone.

• Conservation: The protection and preservation of natural environments and wildlife, including efforts to maintain or restore ecosystems.

• Clasper: Paired reproductive organs found in male sharks and other elasmobranchs, used to transfer sperm to the female during mating.

• Countershading: A type of camouflage where an animal’s back is darker than its belly, helping it blend in from both above and below; common in sharks.

• Dermal Denticles: Small, tooth-like, placoid scales that cover a shark’s skin, reducing drag and helping them swim more efficiently.

• Elasmobranch: A subclass of cartilaginous fish that includes sharks, rays, and skates, characterized by their skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone.

• Embryo: An early stage of development in animals, before birth or hatching, that occurs inside the mother's body or within an egg.

• Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

• Finning: The practice of removing a shark’s fins—often for use in shark fin soup—and discarding the rest of the body at sea; a major threat to shark populations.

• Husbandry: The care, cultivation, and breeding of animals, especially in a controlled environment like an aquarium.

• Lateral Line: A sensory system in sharks and other fish that detects vibrations and movement in the surrounding water, aiding in navigation and hunting.

• Mermaid’s Purse: A tough, leathery egg case produced by some species of sharks, skates, and rays, protecting the developing embryo inside.

• Oviparous: Describes animals that lay eggs, with embryos developing and hatching outside the mother's body; some sharks are oviparous.

• Ovoviviparous: A mode of reproduction in which embryos develop inside eggs that remain within the mother’s body until they are ready to hatch.

• Overfishing: The practice of fishing at a rate that is unsustainable, leading to the depletion of fish populations, including sharks, and disruption of marine ecosystems.

• Positive Reinforcement: A training method that rewards animals for desired behaviors, often used in aquariums to support husbandry and veterinary care.

• Shark: A type of large fish known for its cartilaginous skeleton, multiple rows of teeth, and often being an apex predator in the ocean.

• Sustainability: The practice of using natural resources in a way that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs; includes responsible fishing and marine conservation.

• Tapetum Lucidum: A layer of tissue behind the retina in a shark’s eye that reflects light and enhances vision in low-light environments, such as deep or murky waters.

• Viviparous: Describes animals that give birth to live young, with embryos developing inside the mother’s body, receiving nutrients directly from her.

Play Shark Bingo

Play virtual bingo using a computer, smartphone or tablet during your program to reinforce key concepts and vocabulary.

• Online

• On paper/PDF

🌐 Websites

• Mote Sharks & Rays Conservation Research Program

• Mote Global FinPrint

• Mote: Online exhibit exploring the life of Dr. Eugenie Clark's life and her contributions to science

• Earthwatch Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Protect the Sharks of Belize

• Bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo)

• Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)

• Sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus)

📚 Books & Publications

Elementary

• Fishes: A Compare and Contrast Book by Marie Fargo (Arbordale Publishing) – A nonfiction early reader that introduces the diversity of fish, helping learners compare sharks with other bony and cartilaginous fishes. https://www.arbordalepublishing.com/bookpage.php?id=Fishes

  • 📑 Activity Guide https://www.arbordalepublishing.com/ForCreativeMinds/Fishes_FCM.pdf

• Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark by Heather Lang (Albert Whitman & Company, 2016) – A picture book biography celebrating the life and groundbreaking research of shark scientist Dr. Eugenie Clark. https://www.heatherlangbooks.com/swimming-with-sharks/

  • 📑 Activity Guide: https://www.heatherlangbooks.com/s/SwimmingWithSharksTeachersGuide-1.pdf

Middle School

• Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive with the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator by David Shiffman (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022) – A readable and engaging guide to shark science and conservation that debunks myths and explains why protecting sharks is essential for ocean health. https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter

High School

• The Lives of Sharks: A Natural History of Shark Life by Daniel Abel and R. Dean Grubbs (Princeton University Press, 2023) – A richly illustrated, science-based overview of shark biology, ecology, and evolution, ideal for advanced learners and future marine biologists. http://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691244310/the-lives-of-sharks

• The Lady and the Sharks by Eugenie Clark (Peppertree Press, reissued edition) – A memoir by pioneering shark researcher Dr. Eugenie Clark, chronicling her groundbreaking work, field adventures, and deep respect for the animals she studied. https://peppertreepublishing.com/the-lady-and-the-sharks/

  • Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/ladysharks0000clar

📰 Mote News

• What’s an Arctic shark doing in the Caribbean?

• More Mote News: Sharks

🖥️ Videos

• Sharks in Belize: Jaguars of the Sea

• Eagle Rays: Soaring on Spotted Wings

• Dr.  Bob Hueter speaks about the facts and myths about Megalodon