Scientists Accidentally Capture Rare Shark Live Birth

In a chance encounter, marine researchers witnessed the birth of Thresher Shark and captured it on camera.

According to Christian Science Monitor, Dr. Simon Oliver and his team of researchers were studying Thresher Sharks off the coast of Philippine Malapascua Island in 2013 when they spotted the female shark.

They noticed that it was agitated but assumed it came to area to allow small fish to clear parasites and dead tissue on its skin, a symbiotic function that is well-known. When the image was later processed, researchers realized they had caught a rare moment on camera.

"We were unable to decipher the cause of the shark's distress from our observation post 15 m away, although it was evident that cleaner wrasse were taking bites from its pelvic region," they wrote in the journal Coral Reefs.

"We observed the shark for a total of 4 min, during which we took its photograph for identification purposes. The shark then left the cleaning station and was not observed again. Later, when we processed the photograph for analysis, it revealed the head of a pup emerging from the shark's cloaca."

Thresher Sharks are classified as vulnerable species. Researchers said that the area is not just a cleaning station for sharks as was previously thought. A few pregnant Threshers were spotted earlier at the seamount they said while arguing that the seamount should be declared a marine protected area, BBC reports.

Like many other shark species, Threshers do not lay fertilized eggs. Instead the eggs develop within the female, resulting in a live birth.