Hundreds treated to the ‘disgusting’ and ‘gooey’ spectacle of a shark dissection at the Mobius

For 9-year-old Metta Olson, watching a shark dissection at the Mobius Discovery Center each summer is becoming a tradition.

She was in good company Wednesday at the downtown Spokane museum, where hundreds of kids were clamoring to feel a freshly flayed dogfish shark as part of the annual Shark Day.

Wednesday’s event brought over 700 people to the Mobius for the exhibition, which also included shark-themed fun and games.

“Mobius sparks curiosity and ignites imagination; shark day is one of the special days of the year that we do that,” Mobius Marketing Manager Amanda Gilliam said.

Kids got to observe six dissections of dogfish sharks, each session reaching maximum capacity of the 60 first come-first served tickets.

All the kids participating in the dissection sat quietly and listened to the presenter as she explained the anatomy of the oceanic predators.

“Sharks are just neat,” Gilliam said in an interview. “There’s a lot to learn about them, so it’s a fun day.”

As the line of families formed leading up to each dissection, there were also Shark Day hands-on activities to entertain the eager kids, connecting educational experiences with play.

This was the fifth year of the discovery center’s beloved Shark Day, and Gilliam said, “It’s one of Mobius’ most popular days of the year.”

Kids even had the opportunity to examine the shark’s organs.

Upon opening its stomach, Metta was surprised to find “a whole fish with its head and eyes still attached.”

Siblings Silas, 11, and Billie, 6, were fascinated with the texture of the sharkskin. Their friend, Harvard Shouse, was slightly less enthusiastic.

“It was disgusting,” 6-year-old Harvard said, though most visitors had more enthusiastic impressions of the experience.

From the dissection to the various engaging activities, the day remains the highlight of many Mobius regulars’ yearly visits.

For Silas, curiosity is what will bring him back in the coming years’ shark weeks.

“We did the Shark Day one other time, last year,” Silas said.

Emme Owens, 8, is interested in oceanography. Shark Day provided her with fun games, hands-on activities and further exploration of her passion.

When it came to touching the opened shark, she had few hesitations.

“It felt gooey,” Emme said.

Zoe Brik is another ocean-lover. Her family learned of the event via Mobius’ weekly membership newsletter. As a Shark Day first-timer, she was ecstatic to explore.

The overflowing excitement remained constant throughout the crowd of kids.

Wes Wagner, 7, looked forward to the dissections and the new knowledge they will gain.

Six-year-old Finn Forsman isn’t local but wants to return to Mobius for next year’s Shark Day.

“I know they have fins, and I do know that baby sharks are always on their own, right when they’re born,” Finn said.

Mobius’ participation in the nationwide Shark Week picks up traction in Riverfront Park with the inflatable shark mouth that each guest enters through.

“There’s a lot of excitement about it,” Gilliam said. “As long as the visitors and kids had fun today, we met our goal.”