Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Shark Eggs With Embryos


Vasco da Gama Aquarium, Algés

 Egg layer sharks hang the eggs on corals, mangrove roots, etc., hence the 'hairdo' on top. The embryos are attached to a yolk sac, visible inside the egg, which feeds them until they are ready to swim and find food for themselves.

34 comments:

Julie said...

Not so much a still-life, as a still-death, perhaps ...

Unknown said...

JM, this is truly a strange and interesting image! I never imagined -

Crazy Tourists said...

Wow!!!!

Unknown said...

@Julie: The embryos are pretty alive!

Cezar and Léia said...

Parece coisa de filme de ficçao cientifica!Impressionante!
Léia

Olivier said...

on se retrouve dans un film de science-fiction ;) c'est impressionnant

Kathy said...

Who knew! Not me! Amazing.

Lowell said...

Fantastic! Never seen anything like these! And they'll become full-grown sharks. Scary when you think about it. Strange-looking things!

Sylvia K said...

This is amazing -- a little scary, but amazing! I've never seen anything like it before either! What a fantastic capture, JM!

Sylvia

Sharon said...

Something I've never seen before. Amazing.

Lúcia said...

Nature is amazing! ;-)

Amelia said...

Hi JM, amazing! First time seeing these anyway you capture the picture very well.

Have a nice day.

Carolina Louback said...

Olha! Nunca havia visto nada semelhante. Surpreendente.

Julie said...

They are alive, Jose? But but but ... they appear to be lodged into a plastic holder, and not attached to any uterus for sustainance.

They are very beautiful, but remind me of the bottles one imagines at a morgue or a mortuary, or even a scientific laboratory.

Kay said...

Fascinating, unique post! Wonderful shot!

Rob Siemann said...

Now that's something I haven't seen before. How interesting!

cieldequimper said...

That is extraordinary!

VP said...

My compliments: this is one of the most unexpected and original images I have ever seen!

Unknown said...

@Julie: The embryos are attached to a yolk sac, visible inside the egg, which feeds them until they are ready to swim and find food for themselves. Egg layer sharks hang the eggs on corals, mangrove roots, etc., hence the 'hairdo' on top.

Unknown said...

OK, I'm adding the information to the post. :-)

joo said...

Well, it is amazing!

Julie said...

Thanks, Jose. Sorry to be so uncomprehending!

So, I gather the acquarium will just keep these little beauties on display so visitors can watch them develop and eventually hatch.

How totally mesmerising ...

Unknown said...

@Julie: Exactly. I would love the witness the hatching but I guess it's a shot in the dark! :-)
You don't have to be sorry, it's my pleasure to inform you.

Halcyon said...

Pretty creepy! But an interesting look at nature.

RedPat said...

It would be like waiting for butterflies to emerge from their cocoon - magical if you can time it to be there at the exact time! Great post.

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

What a great shot! Amazing to see the shark embryos developing like that.

theconstantwalker said...

So wonderful to see..

Jack said...

Remarkable, JM. Can you imagine being there with your camera when the first little shark burst loose from its egg?

Randy said...

Now that is an interesting shot.

Babzy.B said...

what an extraordinary pic ! Well doen :)

Joan Elizabeth said...

It looks like some weird science experiment. Amazing

Dina said...

Fascinating!!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

You see that's what I love about blogging, you get to see the most amazing things. This image is like something out of a science fiction movie JM, well done interesting info also.

Nathalie said...

I agree with Gracie of PerthDailyPhoto. An amazing sight!