The first photo of the birth of a rare Thresher shark

A stunning photograph of the birth of a Thresher shark (Common thresher) taken by a team of researchers from the University of Chester, UK, sheds new light on this elusive and vulnerable fish.

It is believed that image, taken during a diving expedition in 2013 and now published in the journal Coral Reefs, is the first of a birth in this species.

One member of our group, Attila Kaszo, is a photographer. He took the picture of the shark, and when processed the picture and showed it to me, I was heladoSimon Oliver, team leader at the University of Chester

Simon Oliver, leader of the team of scientists, told the BBC that it is also “the first record of an oceanic species giving birth”.

See picture, Oliver said, was one of the most exciting moments of his career.

“We were doing an inspection every day, making observations”Recalls Oliver.

“One member of our group, Attila Kaszo, is a photographer. He took the picture of the shark, and when processed the picture and showed it to me, I froze”.

Incredible

Simon Thorrold, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, USA, described photography as “incredible”.

“I never saw such an image of another species of pelagic shark”He told the BBC.

“It may be the first time you've taken a picture of an event, but that's always very difficult to know”.

However, he added that the photo was not of great importance for the conservation of sharks.

Calving area

Oliver, who studies the Thresher sharks in an undersea mountain in the Philippines, stressed the importance of this site for the species.

This particular mountain is a kind of “cleaning station”.

Sharks head there for a species of small fish that inhabit the site can eat their parasites.

“It seems that this area is not only a cleaning station, which is essential, but also functions as a territory where births occur”Oliver explains.

“We have seen many pregnant females, so I do not think I've been a causal”.

He and his colleagues want the area to be considered as a protected area.

 

SOURCE: BBC