Singapore Oceanarium launched a new behind-the-scenes guided tour called Ocean in Focus: Apex Predators, giving small visitor groups access to shark feeding areas, ancient marine fossils, and conservation spaces for S$39 per participant.
Inside the S$39 Apex Predators Guided Tour
Visitors seeking a closer look at the ocean’s top hunters can now sign up for the 60-minute guided programme at the Singapore Oceanarium. Conducted in small groups capped at a maximum of 12 people, the experience begins in a VIP lounge where some snacks and drinks are served, and each attendee is given a special lanyard and a Dunkleosteus plushie keychain.
The tour costs S$39 per participant, excluding admission to the Singapore Oceanarium. Sessions are conducted daily at 9.30am and 1.30pm, except on Wednesdays when only the afternoon session is available, and bookings can be made via the Singapore Oceanarium website.
From Cambrian Super-Predators to Modern Sharks
Before reaching modern shark habitats, tour groups are 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. 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.
Behind the Restricted Support Areas and Feeding Methods
Next came the highlight of the Ocean in Focus tour, where 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, observing that 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, and dive feeding is dependent on the schedule.
Shark spotting was a favourite part of the tour, getting 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, and also showed us the chainmail safety equipment that divers wear during feeding operations. Real shark specimens were also shown, allowing participants to feel how sharp the teeth were of various shark species, alongside a model of shark’s skin which felt surprisingly prickly due to the dermal denticles which are miniature ridges that reduce drag to swim really fast. Participants also touched the leathery mermaid’s purse protecting the eggs of sharks for the species that lay eggs, learning about physical traits while noting that sharks are considered fish rather than mammals.
Global Conservation Work and Regional Partnerships
Beyond public tours, the facility operates as a research facility that guests get to walk around, contrasting with places that are very much attraction-focused, as Derbyshire noted.
Among its milestones, the Singapore Oceanarium became the first facility in the world to breed, raise and successfully release a bowmouth guitarfish into the wild. It also contributes Indo-Pacific leopard shark eggs to the Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery (StAR) programme in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, where the species was previously functionally extinct.
International exchanges form another pillar of the institution’s work. The oceanarium has also transferred whitetip reef sharks and a grey reef shark to Ocean Park Hong Kong and Burger’s Zoo, respectively, for breeding, education and conservation. Derbyshire said the Singapore Oceanarium also partners with like-minded aquariums across the region and internationally on conservation efforts involving sharks, corals, seahorses and other marine species.
Worth a look
