The world's first captive breeding of zebra bullhead shark
As a result of the breeding program carried out by the Primorsky Aquarium biologists, a zebra bullhead shark has laid eggs. For the first time in the world’s history this species has reproduced in captivity.
Five zebra bullhead sharks arrived at the Aquarium in June 2016. Three months later the largest female shark was placed into a separate tank and put on a special diet. In June 2017, a male shark was added in the tank, and a year later the female laid eggs. The fact of egg laying indicates that the sharks are kept in good conditions.
“The zebra bullhead shark is a fractional spawning fish; a female deposits the first pair of eggs and a few days later it releases one more pair. Our shark has laid four eggs, and we expect it to deposit four more eggs”, says Mikhail Streltsov, Head of the Department of Tropical Marine Fish at the Primorsky Aquarium.
“In the literature on the subject our biologists could find only one record of captive breeding of sharks belonging to another species of this genus. So, we are the first to have reproduced the zebra bullhead shark species in captivity”.
The zebra bullhead shark is a member of the genus Heterodontus which is represented by eight species. They are the most ancient sharks among the existing ones. These creatures have been living on Earth for about 242 million years and have scarcely changed since the dinosaurs’ era. Their being oviparous distinguishes them from all other modern sharks.
