Lecture on Baby Sharks

Introduction

• Sharks: big, fast, fierce predators
• Vulnerability in the first year
• Survival tactics:
  • Walk out of water
  • Live in rivers
  • Eat siblings
• Evolution: over 450 million years
• Feared creatures in the seas

Notable Shark Species

• Great Whites
  • Leap 10 feet into the air
• Mako
  • Speed over 45 miles per hour

Challenges for Baby Sharks

• Target for predators, including other sharks
• Mortality Rate: Around 80% don't reach adulthood

Parental Care

• Adult sharks don't care for newborns
• Newborn sharks often become prey

Birth and Nursery

• Pregnant sharks give birth in shallow waters to avoid predators
• Birth locations often a mystery
• Rare footage of shark birth
• Nurseries: Shallow areas for safety
  • Example: Near Orpheus Island, Great Barrier Reef