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School's Out, Sharks In: Winter school holidays at the Two Oceans Aquarium
School's out and the sharks are in for an unforgettable winter adventure at the Two Oceans Aquarium from 28 June to 21 July 2025!
Meet our research team at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation
At the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, we are proud to support a thriving multidisciplinary Research team.
What the Two Oceans Aquarium learned from 2025's United Nations Ocean Conference
This month, the ocean took the global stage at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), which took place in France from 9 – 13 June 2025. Our Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Dr Judy Mann-Lang, Executive of Strategic Projects, avidly followed the conference’s proceedings and shared her thoughts with us.
Learn about shysharks this school holiday
The Aquarium is home to a remarkable variety of shark species, many of them found only in South African waters. From the iconic ragged-tooth sharks cruising through the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit to the elusive puffadder shysharks in the Cold Reef Exhibit, visitors are offered a glimpse into the complexity and beauty of these misunderstood animals.
Join our Rocky Shore Explore on 2 August 2025!
Join us for our Rocky Shore Explore on Saturday, 2 August 2025, in celebration of Marine Protected Areas Day.
The sardine run is underway, but where have all the fish gone?
The sardine run is one of the ocean’s most extraordinary events. Every year, the ocean community flocks to South Africa’s east coast to witness this stunning display of abundance and biodiversity.
Learn about ragged-tooth sharks this school holiday
This school holiday, school’s out and sharks are in: We’re diving into the incredible sharks at the Two Oceans Aquarium – big and small. Today, we’re learning all about ragged-tooth sharks.
This World Shark Day, a collaborative acoustic tagging project is shining a light on elasmobranch movements
The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s research team is thrilled to announce a marvellous new partnership to address key knowledge gaps in marine research, particularly in the field of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays). What better way to celebrate World Shark Day?
Creatures & Creators: A winter workshop of wonder, collaboration, and discovery
Cape Town Creative Academy (CTCA) recently co-designed and co-developed Creatures & Creators in partnership with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation. This cross-disciplinary winter workshop brought together design, science, and storytelling in an inspiring, hands-on learning experience.
Learn about spotted gully sharks this school holiday
The Aquarium is home to a remarkable variety of shark species, many of them found only in South African waters. Today, we’re learning all about gully sharks.
We honoured our dedicated long-serving staff at the Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation!
Behind every magical moment at the Two Oceans Aquarium is an incredible team making it all happen! We recently celebrated the Long Service Awards, honouring some of our amazing staff and volunteers who have reached big milestones in their journey with us. From educating thousands to creating unforgettable memories, they’re the heart of everything we do. Thank you for your passion, dedication, and years of service!
Orbicular batfish
The orbicular batfish is a large, disc-shaped fish with a flattened dusky silver body. Its anal and dorsal fins are symmetrical, giving the adult batfish a spade-like appearance. Its dorsal, anal and tail fins are translucent yellow with black margins, and its pectoral fins are yellow. It has two prominent vertical black bars, a thick one behind the head that crosses the gill cover, and a narrower bar though the eye. Some sub-populations have small black spots on their sides.The adult orbicular batfish very closely resembles the longfinned batfish, and distinguishing between the two is understandably difficult. The longfinned batfish has dark blotches under its pectoral fin and on the bottom edge of its anal fin which are absent on the orbicular batfish.The juvenile orbicular batfish relies on its long fins to mimic a dead leaf by flopping onto its side and allowing the current to take it. It has a great affinity for brackish coastal environments, particularly mangroves and lagoons and can change its colour to a rusty brown to more closely resemble a leaf.As it grows larger, it takes on a silver colouration more closely resembling the longfinned batfish. Gradually its fins become shorter until it takes on the characteristic spade shape of other members of its family.The adult will move out of its sheltered coastal habitat to reefs where it will feed primarily on algae, but will snack on small fish if given the opportunity. Perhaps its strangest dietary quirk, the orbicular batfish will often follow sea turtles around to eat their faeces.It ranges from Knysna in the Western Cape to the Red Sea, Australia, Polynesia, Japan and Alaska. Invasive populations are also present in the Caribbean.