While the majority of sharks give birth to live young, chain catsharks are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. The eggs are laid in protective cases called mermaid’s purses. The female shark in this video filmed in Ocean Wonders: Sharks! is shown “tying” the long curly tendrils of the egg cases to kelp to anchor them. This prevents the developing eggs from being swept away by tides or currents. Anchoring the egg cases is crucial to protecting them for the next eight to twelve months until they hat

While the majority of sharks give birth to live young, a number of species are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. The eggs are laid in protective cases called mermaids’ purses. When sharks at the aquarium lay eggs, our keepers check on their development using a technique called candling, where they shine a bright light through the egg to monitor the embryo’s development. The egg cases shown in the video are chain catsharks and they were approximately four months into their eight and a half month