Sharklahoma Celebration Event Sees Bull Sharks Up-Close

The Oklahoma Aquarium said it has the largest collection of bull sharks in the world.

To celebrate that and the other apex predators in its care, the aquarium has teamed up with the Jenks Chamber of Commerce for "Sharklahoma."

The month-long celebration of sharks was started 5 years ago to show how great an attraction the aquarium is and bring more people to Jenks.

One of the shark-related events is Friday night's Bull Shark Rodeo at Maggie's Music Box. The main attraction is a mechanical bull shark where attendees can test their skills and bravery with an 8-second ride.

Marketing and Digital Strategist for the Oklahoma Aquarium, Lollie Moore-Emig, said the goal with these events is to show how amazing sharks are.

"They get really a bad rap," she continued saying, "They are like the bad kid in class that acted up one time and now everybody hates them, but actually sharks are amazing. They do so much for their ecosystem and our sharks, particularly here, do amazing things for research."

Lollie said bull sharks have the most bite force per square inch, which can cause problems for weather buoys and trappings in the ocean. 

"We are able to partner with places like Noah and Iron Skin to develop products that really protect people and keep us all safe," she said.

The Bull Shark Rodeo is free to attend and starts at 6:30 p.m.

A full list of Sharklahoma events can be found here.