A shark has performed a C-section, according to the New Zealand Herald, Eco Worldly, and other media reports today.
According to these sources, a shark at Kelly Tarltons Underwater World bit a pregnant female shark in the stomach.
Sharks often "nip" at each other, but when the biter is such a toothsome fish, there's a fine line between scratch and death. In this case, the pregnant female sustained a gaping wound to her side, releasing her babies into the tank. All of this happened during daytime in front of visitors who more than got their ticket's worth.
Mother and offspring survived. In fact, Fiona Davies at the aquarium said the "C-section" probably saved the lives of the babies. If the pregnant shark had given birth at night, other sharks in the tank, along with stingrays, probably would have gulped the little sharks down as if they were hors d'oeuvres.
And there's more to the happy ending, at least for now. The mother and her offspring have been placed in a separate "nursery" tank. When the mother has fully recovered and the babies are old enough, they will all be released back into the wild.
Please go to this London Telegraph page to see a video on the unusual shark birth.
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