Shark and Ray Touch Pool

Bamboo and epaulette sharks glide around the shallow touch pools, where guests can reach in and touch these gentle and graceful animals. The epaulette shark is easily recognized. It has a small, slender, almost eel-like form, a short, rounded snout with nasal barbells on the underside, prominent eyes, spiracles, and paddle shaped pectoral and pelvic fins.

The unique shape of the cownose ray’s nose, or rostrum, gives the species its name. The front of the head has two lobes, which, combined with a notch in its cartilaginous skull, gives the ray’s head a cow-like appearance. The broad pectoral fins of the cownose ray are shaped like wings and help it migrate great distances in the wild.

These smaller rays are related to the large eagle and manta rays and can be found in the Gulf of California, Galapagos Islands, and in waters ranging from Costa Rica to Peru.