Divers save shark eggs from ocean display

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 12:32

SEVEN shark eggs have been rescued by divers from a giant ocean display at Deep Sea World in North Queensferry.

The divers spotted the eggs, or Mermaids' purses, attached to kelp in the aquarium's 4.5 million litre Underwater Safari display while they were on cleaning duty.

One of the eggs has already hatched and tiny sharks can be seen wriggling inside the protective cases of the other six.

Deep Sea World's Richard Nieuwenhuys said: "The eggs were laid by some of our British sharks. As the Underwater Safari is also home to a number of other shark and ray species - including the three-metre-long sand tigers - we took the decision to retrieve the eggs and put them in a special nursery display.

"Although the egg cases are quite thick, you can clearly see the unborn baby sharks wriggling inside if you hold them up to the light.

"Our aquarists work hard to try to ensure conditions in our displays are as close to those in the wild as possible.

"The fact that so many eggs are being laid, and that the vast majority of them appear to be fertile, is an excellent indicator to the overall health of the display and its inhabitants."

Eggs are usually laid in pairs and can take anywhere between five and 11 months to hatch, depending on the temperature of the water.