Shark

Immaculate Epaulette Shark Conception!

Female shark pup born through parthenogenesis (without fertilization)

Brookfield, Ill. — On August 23, an epaulette shark pup hatched at Brookfield Zoo. The hatching wasn’t unusual, but what is, is the way the shark embryo developed. The adult female shark had not been housed with a male since arriving at the Zoo in 2019. At that time, she was only 3 years old, and the species reaches sexual maturity around 7 years of age. Under these circumstances, animal care staff believe the female produced a fertile egg without needing to be fertilized by a male’s genetic material. This reproductive process known as parthenogenesis is when an embryo develops from an unfertilized egg cell.

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Baby Sharks! Tennessee Aquarium Hatches Endangered Short-Tail Nurse Shark Pups 

Chattanooga, Tenn. (July 19, 2022) – The Tennessee Aquarium reached a significant milestone just in time for Shark Week with the recent hatching of three critically endangered Short-tail Nurse Shark pups. 

The diminutive youngsters, which hatched July 7, are the product of three adult Short-tail Nurse Sharks – one male and two females – which arrived at the Aquarium along with eight juveniles and eight fertilized eggs from a facility in Canada last year.  

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Ahoy, Shark Pups!

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Seven Bonnethead Shark pups are cruising the waters at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.  Born in mid-November, the pups are thriving in a behind-the scenes tank at the aquarium.

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Photo Credt:  North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

Bonnethead Sharks are the smallest of the Hammerhead Sharks.  The purpose of their wide, shovel-like heads, known as cephalofoils, has been debated for decades. It is now believed that their flat heads, with eyes located on the outer edges, give them a very wide field of vision.  Sharks in the Hammerhead family can see 360 degrees, meaning they can see to the front, to the sides, and behind themselves.  The placement of the eyes also allows the Sharks to see above and below themselves as well.

Such a visual field is an advantage for any animal, allowing it to more easily spot predators and prey. 

Bonnethead Sharks are found along the east and west coasts of North and South America.  Adults are shy and harmless, growing three to five feet long.   They are often seen swimming together in small groups.

See more photos of the pups below the fold.

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Yipes! Stripes!

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It's not uncommon for aquarists at New England Aquarium to find shark eggs in its Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank. Often, these eggs are not fertile, but a while back, keepers collected one that hatched some five months later, ushering in the arrival of a brand new baby female Epaulette Shark. Her stunning stripes will fade over time, leaving only dark spots, but as juveniles, these solid patterns serve to confuse potential predators in the wild.

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For now, the tiny shark pup is most at ease hidden safely inside a piece of tubing in her nursery tank. Until she's old enough to join the rest of the group in the Touch Tank, visitors can meet her parents and watch for newly laid eggs!

You can read more about the epaulette shark baby and learn more about this fascinating species on the Aquarium's Exhibit Galleries Blog: http://galleries.neaq.org/search/label/epaulette%20shark Did you know they can slow down their body functions to survive in low oxygen environments?


Living Coasts Aquarium Breeds First Venomous Fish

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Living Coasts Aquarium has bred a venomous fish for the first time. The new arrival is the first Blue Spotted Stingray is only the second one ever born in the UK. According to Living Coasts zoo keeper Stuart McGeachie, “It was born in July, live and fully formed, complete with stinging barb and claspers - male appendages. It was about 10 centimeters across - they grow to around 30 to 35 centimeters.”

Torquay’s coastal zoo is home to three adult blue spotted stingrays – males Zorro and Baby Boy, and female Baby Boo. McGeachie added, “We are not sure which male is the father, as both were seen trying to mate with the female. Zorro is the larger of the two, so we suspect it is him!”

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Photo credits: Living Coasts Aquarium

Living Coasts director Elaine Hayes said: “They are seen in aquariums, but they get confused with blue-spotted ribbontail rays (Taeniura lymma ). Because of this it is very difficult to establish numbers. The records say there are just 42 in collections, with only 3 births in the last 12 months, not including ours.”

The blue spotted stingray (Dasyatis kuhlii) is light green with blue spots. A member of the shark family, this saltwater fish is found in shallow tropical waters. It has venomous barbs on its tail.


Angel Shark Pups No Bigger than Your Hand

Four Pacific angel sharks were born at the Aquarium of Bay last week in San Francisco. These rare and unusual sharks were once plentiful off California but populations were decimated by overfishing in the 1980s. Researchers hope to learn more about how to protect wild angel sharks by studying the tiny pups.

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Adult angel shark below

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