Why Can't Aquariums Keep Great White Sharks?

You can't find a great white shark in any aquarium in the world, but some aquariums do have whale sharks, which are even larger. Why is that? For decades, aquariums have tried to keep great whites. The last time an adult white shark was displayed at an aquarium in Japan, it died three days after it arrived. Unlike most fish, which can get oxygen by opening and closing their mouths, white sharks must constantly move to push water through their gills for oxygen. This means they need a special tank with life support just to survive the transport. Another issue is that great whites are used to swimming huge distances. In a tank, they often crash into the walls, injuring themselves. Keeping one alive in an aquarium is incredibly costly and resource-intensive.