Sharks and Whales School Assembly
Sovereigns of the Seas!
Sovereigns of the Seas is our combination Sharks and Whales School Assembly that looks at both of these awesome and threatened groups of animals. On the “surface” this is a show of opposites: the sharks are fish and the whales are mammals; the sharks are generally loners and the whales live in groups, the sharks have been swimming in the oceans of the world since well before Dinosaurs walked on land and the whales came along well after. But as we look deeper, we find much more in common between them.
New research is showing that some sharks species communicate with sound, like whales; some sharks protect their young, like whales and both groups will often cooperate to catch food. And of course sharks and whales also have the same major enemy, humans.
Sharks and Whales School Assembly will try to bridge the gap in our understanding of both of these extremely important and interesting animals, showing their diversity, habits, inter-relationships and new findings as you’ve not seen before.
The program has no living animals, but uses models, preserved specimens, posters and video clips to introduce the group to how these animals live.
The Black Tip shark is changing the way science looks at sharks. Once regarded as unintelligent eating machines, we find that several hundred Black Tip females will for a group to cooperate in raising their pups, finding food and defending a territory. Perhaps most surprising, we find that they call to each other using noises made with the mouths.
Sharks and Whales School Assembly
looks at the animals on the inside.
They were the “right” whales to kill, so that’s what they’re still called, Right Whales. And in their mouth is a fibrous almost fingernail like material called baleen, which is used to strain their catches of small fish, shrimp and squid from the ocean.
The beluga skull shows what a toothed whale looks like under all the flesh, fat and oil of the head. It is quite surprising. The teeth are large and like sharpened pegs, the eyes are generally small in whales and the ear area is well developed.
The shark is skeleton is made of cartilage and doesn’t preserve well. Only the great jaws are usable for display. The teeth show that the sharks are much more diverse and specialized than the whales. Sharks have a variety of kinds of teeth; some that cut, some that stab, some that grind and some that chop huge sections from the prey. All based on species and diet. The Sharks and Whales School Assembly shows the difference between the two groups very clearly.
The largest teeth come from the Sperm Whale and they are not even sharp. It’s the power behind the bite that makes these “coat hanger” pegs useful in killing animals like giant squid.
Sharks and Whales School Assembly
looks at these animals on the outside.
Though not alive, this Bamboo Shark is real. It’s a preserved specimen that can be touched to get the feel of what shark skin feels like.
This model Black Tip Shark is realistic enough to have people asking how long it can live out of water! These models allows to discuss body plan and external features of the shark that are hard to see and understand in a 2-dimensional photo.
This fiberglass model Bottlenose Dolphin baby does look pretty real. So real, in fact, that the kids have to touch it before thy leave the show! Dolphins are very much like us in their care of their young.
Since we cover so much and there is so much to see, we recommend 90 minutes for the Sharks and Whales School Assembly program. However we can do a shorter 60 minute version.
Prices for Sharks and Whales School Assembly
60/90 minutes
NORTH NJ (201,973,908,) $300/$400
CENTRAL NJ & SI (732, 609, 856, 718 Excluding So NJ) $300/$400
SOUTH NY (845, 914, 516, 631) $300/$400
NYC (212, 718, 917, 646, 347) $400/$450
No. PA (Delaware Valley), $300/$400
CT (203) $350/$400
PHILLY & SOUTH NJ (Atlantic, Cape May, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland) $350/$450
Returning yearly customers may pay the same price as last year for the same shows.
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