Zebra shark birth

02oktober2013
Source: vroegevogels.vara.nl, photo by Line1
The birth of a zebra shark has been captured on film for the first time, in the aquarium in the French city of Brest. Also a first is the fact that zebra sharks in Europe have reproduced in captivity.
Biologists at the Océanopolis had been waiting nearly three weeks for the birth. The video shows how the young zebra shark, already about 30 cm long, slowly breaks free of the egg and then quickly swims away. Three of the five eggs have now hatched, and the sharks can be viewed at the aquarium; the remaining two eggs could still hatch.

Zebra sharks live in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, and they have been sighted in the Red Sea as well. These animals can reach up to 2 metres long, and are seen in water up to 63 metres deep.
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