‘Harmless’ Female Shark Lays 20 Eggs At Sea Life Centre

September 3, 2009

Release from: Euroweekly News

A FEMALE brownbanded bamboo shark living at Benalmadena Sea Life Centre has laid 20 eggs in the submarine tunnel. To prevent them being eaten by other adult sharks, staff at the centre have transferred the eggs to the tropical lake, an area that is already home to babies of the same species.

This will allow marine wildlife experts to keep watch over the embryo sharks, whilst still allowing visitors to watch their progress.

The eggs will hatch in two or three months, and the babies – aside from their colour – will look like miniature versions of adult bamboo sharks. Babies have black and white stripes, but adults are light brown in colour. This species of shark reaches a metre in length fully grown, and is completely harmless to humans.

One of its most bizarre features is the female’s ability to store the male’s sperm for many years, and to fertilise it and lay her eggs at what she considers to be an opportune moment. Staff say the mother shark is in perfect health after laying her eggs.