Nausicaá welcomed its first baby zebra sharks between July and December 2020. The parents are the sharks in the tropical lagoon in the Mankind and Shores exhibition.
Births of zebra sharks
The first zebra sharks were born at Nausicaá in 2020.
They arrived at Nausicaá as youngsters in 2011 and have now reached sexual maturity. The zebra sharks Stegostoma tigrinum have mated and Nausicaá's keepers who keep a daily eye on what is happening in the aquariums soon spotted the eggs laid by the female. These eggs, which look like ray eggs, are capsules of keratin in which the embryos develop.
The keepers recovered the eggs and transferred them to an incubation tank in the reserves. They were able to establish that the eggs were viable and the baby sharks were born after a few months of observation and patience. The juveniles measure around 30 centimetres at birth and have a striped coat like that of a zebra. As the shark grows, this coat will gradually change to become spotted.
For the time being, the young sharks are growing in the reserves under the watchful eye of the team of keepers before heading to their aquarium in the exhibition. The babies are fed mainly finely cut gambas, razor clams and squid.
The birth of these zebra sharks at Nausicaá is a major event for this species, listed by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as endangered in their natural environment. This is also great news for the European conservation programme of which they are a part.
The conservation programmes at Nausicaá
Nausicaá is a unique biodiversity conservatory where several hundred offspring are born every year. Furthermore, Nausicaá participates in European conservation programmes to save endangered species.
Birth of zebra sharks at Nausicaá
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Destination Ocean / Live from Nausicaá
Live from the nursery: The zebra sharks are born!
During the breeding season, the female began laying eggs again.
During incubation, the eggs were carefully monitored by our keepers and our vet: they were scanned to ensure that the embryos were developing properly.
Incubation period: 120 to 140 days
Between July and December 2020, several baby zebra sharks were born. A grand premiere at Nausicaá.
When they hatched, the babies measured between 25 and 30 centimetres.
Now just a few weeks old, the young fish are still isolated to monitor their growth and are fed individually with fish, shrimp and squid 3 times a day.
The zebra shark gets its name from the stripes it bears when it is young. These stripes gradually turn into black spots.
Where does it live?
The adult zebra shark can measure up to 2.4 metres and lives primarily near coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
It is a nocturnal hunter, searching the sand for prey using the barbels in its mouth.
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) STATUS
Although the zebra shark is relatively solitary and harmless to humans, it is now ENDANGERED by overfishing and the deterioration of its habitat.
Therefore, these births are very good news for the European conservation programme of which they are a part.
We hope to see you soon to (re)discover the treasures of the ocean.