SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast has shared rare CCTV footage of grey nurse sharks mating

CCTV has captured the moment a male grey nurse shark fertilises a female by aggressively taking control of her with his teeth.

Two critically endangered grey nurse sharks have been captured aggressively mating in rare footage. The salacious act between residents Pallas and Huey was captured on CCTV at SEA LIFE Aquarium on the Sunshine Coast. Male grey nurse sharks must fertilise the female eggs internally, resulting in a manoeuvre achieved through grasping the partner with their teeth.

Oliver Underwood, Curator at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast, has said it is vital to work towards sustainable populations of threatened and endangered animals is a huge goal for modern-day aquariums.

“To be contributing to this effort through the ongoing care of our population of critically endangered grey nurse sharks is very special.

“The sharks here at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast are all ambassadors for their species, helping spread the word about the need for conservation and protection.

“SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast has cameras covering every angle of the aquarium, this gives us the ability to see the mating behaviour through ought the entire breeding season of our individuals.

“This gives us a rare opportunity to observe and learn from the behaviour of grey nurse sharks, something not possible to do in a wild setting,” he said.

If Huey was successful, we could see baby grey nurse sharks in as soon as nine months.