Primorsky Aquarium gives name to female baby zebra bullhead shark
The female baby zebra bullhead shark that hatched at the facility in late January 2023 now has a name: Lucia.
This is not a single successful breeding of the species at the Primorsky Aquarium – in 2018 and 2019 the sharks deposited eggs, and in 2021 the facility welcomed its first hatchling.
Currently, very few aquariums have this shark species on exhibit. Besides, the species is still understudied, and the experience Aquarium biologists have received in breeding this predator is highly valuable to science.
“At hatching, a tiny shark weighed just 40 g and measured 16 cm long,” said Artyom Novikov, Lead Specialist at the Department of Tropical Marine Species. “Now she weighs 60 g, and her body length is 21 cm. The young differs from her parents in having not only a smaller body size but also more saturated coloration. At the very beginning, the baby shark had a modest appetite and consumed minute portions of shrimp eggs, and not long ago pieces of squid were added to her diet. Adult sharks are usually fed squid, shrimp, scallop and salmon.”
The zebra bullhead shark (Heterodontus zebra) is a medium-sized species with an average body length of 1 m and weight of 6-7 kg in mature individuals. The species belongs to the genus Heterodontus, which altogether includes nine species and is the most ancient genera of modern cartilaginous fishes. Unlike most of the extant sharks, zebra bullhead sharks are oviparous. A female releases 2 eggs at a time at intervals of 8-10 days, and does it 10 to 12 times during one breeding season. Each egg is covered with a tough leathery case, which is screw-shaped. The egg incubation lasts 8 to 11 months.
“Successful breeding requires providing the animals with suitable captive conditions – first of all, the proper temperature regime, sufficient water circulation and aeration as well as clean habitat,” said Artyom Novikov. “During our several-year observations we accumulated a large amount of data regarding our experience in captive breeding of the zebra bullhead shark. Now these data are being sorted out and prepared for the subsequent use in students' theses and scientific papers.”
The zebra bullhead shark is a typical predator and feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates such as sea urchins, shrimps, crabs and molluscs but also takes small fishes. Found in the shallow waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, the species is solitary and leads a sedentary lifestyle. These fish appeared on Earth about 242 million years ago and have not changed much since then.
Fast Fact: Shark egg cases sometimes washed ashore after storms are commonly called “mermaid’s purses”.