Think Easter – Think newborn lambs, fluffy chicks and daffodils! What about baby sharks? For an Easter with a difference come to the National Marine Aquarium to find out about our toothy friends that start life as eggs. When they hatch their not as cute as lambs or chicks but they are more fascinating.

Some of the baby sharks on display include the tropical Bamboo Cat shark and Epaulette shark, also, hatching soon will be native Bull Huss sharks.

Although most sharks lay eggs in cases called Mermaids Purses our big Sand Tiger sharks actually give birth to baby sharks – something were keeping our fingers crossed will happen in the near future.!

Dr Gibson, Managing Director, says “I was really excited to hear from our senior biologists that our Sand Tiger sharks have been seen courting each other. This highly endangered species very rarely breeds in captivity and this activity shows that our tank is very well suited to them. It will be some time before we know if the mating has been successful however as female Sand Tigers incubate their young for around 9 months.”

The aquarium currently has 59 individual sharks from some fifteen different species – so fingers crossed that number will have risen by the end of the Easter holiday.

Through out the Easter holiday they’ll be plenty of egg related fun at the aquarium – children will be able to make their own Mermaid Purses in the Discovery Zone, take part in the baby shark trail and create their own shark totem pole to take home. From the 1st April the aquarium will be open until 6pm.