Massive Shark Comes To Dorset

14 July 2010, 06:14

A 7 foot shark arrives in Weymouth today.

Bruiser the Nurse Shark's being moved to Weymouth's Sea Life Park, after he got too big for his old home.

He was being kept at Chessington Sea Life Centre, but since growing three feet he now struggles to move around in his tank there.

Weymouth displays supervisor Fiona Smith told Heart:

"If he were allowed to grow any bigger he would soon be demolishing the theming just with his sheer weight and bulk.

Bruiser is a cheeky character who likes to muscle in at feeding time, so his keepers don't anticipate any difficulty steering him over a stretcher to lift him from the tank at Chessington.

"Then he'll be straight into a large transport tank in the back of a waiting truck and a drive down to Weymouth to repeat the whole process in reverse," said Fiona.
       
"He will soon be the biggest shark we've ever had," said Fiona. "We're excited about his arrival and sure he will enjoy life in his more spacious new surrounds."

Nurse sharks are a type of 'carpet shark' - so called for their fondness for lying motionless on the seabed using their powerful neck muscles to pump water through their gills.

Though not commercially fished, they are sometimes taken for their tough leathery skin, for the oil from their livers and for their flesh, which is usually eaten raw and salted.