Amazing Video of 19 Critically Endangered Shark Pups Inside Mother’s Womb
- Posted on December 8, 2011 at 4:28pm by
Liz Klimas
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For what is at least a first in the U.K. and could potentially be a world first according to zoologists, an angel shark has given birth to 19 pups in captivity. It‘s not the number of offspring that’s astonishing, but the success researchers had at helping the critically endangered shark give birth, details of which they’ll be sharing with other aquariums in hopes for similar results.
Angel shark pup. (Photo: Deep Sea World)
The mother shark, Anne, and her premature pups at Deep Sea World in Scotland are doing well. Prior to Anne’s three-week labor, researchers were able to capture live footage of the pups while still in the womb using endoscopy.
Watch the footage here:
Deep Sea World reports the birth being long and drawn out, with four pups being born a week after the first. Eleven pups were born in one day in the following week, and the final three came a few days later:
“For us to have had one pup would have been a cause for real celebration, to have 19 of them is nothing short of extraordinary,” [Deep Sea World’s Zoological Manager Chris Smith said.]
“We’ll be sharing the information we have gained throughout the pregnancy and birth with other aquariums throughout Europe in the hope that we can replicate this success at other sites and help to protectthe species from the threat of extinction,” he added.
Specialist vet Romain Pizzi joined divers and Deep Sea World’s zoological team to assist with the delivery of the pups. He managed to get the first ever live images of shark pups inside their mum by using a tiny camera on the end of an endoscope.
The angel shark can reach up to 2 meters in length. In 2006, the shark was declared extinct in the North Sea and put on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species as critically endangered.
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whatthecrazy
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 8:42pmAwwwwe
Report Post »Searchingforthelight
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 7:19pmIf only Americans were so excited about the protection of endangered embryos inside of a mother entering an abortion clinic. Sigh………..
Report Post »AmazingGrace8
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 2:02pmRead somewhere that when the Great White Shark mommy gives birth….the babies get their distance FAST from their mother because mommy does not know her children and they are just FISH-FOOD to her.
Report Post »usmotorman
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 4:22pmSort of like, Muslim moms strapping bombs to their babies?
Report Post »TNT_Party
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 12:13pmHope to be scuba diving with many more soon :)
Report Post »greensteam
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 12:58pmits funny that in order to protect a creature that is about to go extinct because of human interference, we interfere some more to bring them back just to prove that we shouldnt interfere.
Report Post »ghostwriter24
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:14amAnne the Shark, meet Michelle Duggar.
Report Post »Michelle Duggar, meet Anne the Shark.
Hephzibah
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 9:56amThree week labor? Poor mama shark!!!!
Report Post »kim
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 9:01amthats cool and sweet
Report Post »bets
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 6:39amThis was neat to watch. I hope they are successful.
Report Post »omniavincetamor
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 6:03amI wish the same type video footage would be so widely broadcast inside a mother’s womb….Please Pray to End All Abortion!
Report Post »Better Dead Than Red
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 9:45amnope, that didn’t take long!!
Report Post »aLinedog
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:32amThose babies did seem fully functional INSIDE the womb, qui’aff? The questions such video would raise, talk about a furor.
Report Post »So based on the Liberal Left’s point of view the following can be determined:
Forcing a woman to have a child that she chose to create is monstrous.
Forcing a woman to wear a full body sock, never show her face in public, and -oh yeah- rely on males for everything is to be commended.
If such diametric viewpoints were given a physical life you’d get whiplash doing a doubletake. Such an animal would literally devour itself. It’s a good thing that proponents of those points are blessed with an abundance of arrogance. I’d have to be committed as my brain would melt during the assimilation process.
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A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 1:27amIf you want to protect them from extinction, then find a way to make a profit off of them – such as for meat – and then establish private property rights on them.
This is how the buffalo were saved from extinction.
See here.
Stossel – ‘The Tragedy Of The Commons’ 12/5/10 2 of 4
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo_OB6iX_5o
aLinedog
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:22amdamn right. Stossel!!
Report Post »I love John’s work. I occasionally disagree, though that is generally because I am letting my emotions decide and that often leads one to -shall we say- impractical positions.
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