'Sharklahoma': What's happening this month at the Oklahoma Aquarium to celebrate sharks

The Oklahoma Aquarium is shifting the narrative around sharks and showing just how FIN-tastic these predators are.

The month-long effort to educate and raise awareness for sharks is known as 'Sharklahoma.' It takes place every July at the aquarium in Jenks, home to the world's largest collection of bull sharks. The Oklahoma Aquarium also has seven other shark species including some that guests are invited to touch.

World Shark Day

World Shark Day falls each year on July 14. The day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of sharks in marine ecosystems.

Oklahoma Aquarium educator Deyton Harney said, "Bull sharks, specifically, eat a lot of dead matter and dead fish, so that is amazing in the ocean just to help clean up." He adds they also stabilize fish populations.

Common Misconceptions

Sharks often get a bad rap for being dangerous predators and Harney said that narrative has a lot to do with the media we consume. "Movies like Jaws have really portrayed sharks in a bad way," he continued, "Re-discovering what sharks are actually about as a whole shows people they are not as scary as the world makes them out to be."

For example, sharks do not prey on humans, they just have bad eyesight. "Typically they do not really know what they are looking at and so they get people confused for seals and other prey," said Harney.

Sharklahoma Events

There are several more events planned this month at the Oklahoma Aquarium in celebration of Sharklahoma.

1. STEAM Night on Tuesday, July 15 at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
2. ZZZs In The Seas on Friday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m.
3. Comedy Night on Wednesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m.
4. Sharknado Movie Screening on Friday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m.
5. Sharknado Movie Screening on Tuesday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Sharklahoma will end with the annual Dive with Bull Sharks contest at the Oklahoma Aquarium. To enter you must be 18 or older, no taller than 6'6, weigh no more than 250 lbs., and have a scuba diver certification. The deadline is Thursday, July 31 at 11:59 p.m. For more information click here.