CHESTER (UK)- Never before has the birth of a thresher shark been recorded. Researchers now published a remarkable photograph of the live birth of a thresher shark, one of the most elusive of the pelagic sharks.
The image was taken during a research dive in 2013 and now published in the journal Coral Reefs. It is believed to be the first record of a birth in this species, so say the scientists. Lead researcher Dr Simon Oliver from the University of Chester told BBC News that this was also “the first record of any oceanic species giving birth”.
Monad Shoal
“At 0628 hrs, during a biological survey of Monad Shoal in the Phillipines, we observed a large female pelagic thresher shark swimming back and forth across a cleaning station in an agitated state”, so write the scientists in Coral Reefs.
A pup emerging
“We were unable to decipher the cause of the shark’s distress from our observation post 15 meters away, although it was evident that cleaner wrasse were taking bites from its pelvic region. We observed the shark for a total of 4 minutes, during which we took its photograph for identification purposes. The shark then left the cleaning station and was not observed again. Later, when we processed the photograph for analysis, it revealed the head of a pup emerging from the shark’s cloaca.”
See the photo shown in big size on BBC News.