Baby starry smoothhounds were born at Nausicaá on the 8th of May 2021.
These births are a first for Nausicaá, which has had smoothhounds on display since 2012.
The young smoothhounds will join the other occupants of the Californian tank in a few months' time. They need to grow to a size that allows them to move freely around the tank.
So patience is the key!
These births are an opportunity for the biologists to learn more about the species and gain a better understanding of how these sharks reproduce.
Coincidentally, baby leopard sharks were born on the same day at Nausicaá.
Leopard sharks and adult smoothhounds can be seen in the Californian tank in the Mankind and Shores exhibition.
The pregnant smoothhound was placed in isolation in the aquariological reserves to complete her pregnancy under the watchful eye of Nausicaá's biologists.
The starry smoothhound Mustelus asterias is aplacental viviparous, which means that the foetus thrives on the yolk of the egg without any nutrients from the mother.
The gestation period lasts between 11 and 13 months. The female can give birth to around twenty offspring.
The smoothhound is a grey shark with light coloured spots on its back. It has a more flexible body than other sharks.
It measures between 100 and 150 cm and can weigh up to 4.8 kg.
Like leopard sharks, smoothhounds are species that have been given the IUCN status of "Least Concern". They are both part of European conservation programmes.
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.