Hollywood would have you believe that sharks are all big and scary, but 10 billion views on YouTube's most popular video suggest otherwise - most sharks are "Baby Shark"!

Aquarist Leigh de Necker is one of the Two Oceans Aquarium team members that cares for our "Baby Sharks" - including dark shysharks. Dark shysharks (Haploblepharus pictus), also known as “Pretty Happys,” are a small shark species endemic to Namibia and western South Africa. 

Credit: Stefan Hurter

Like most shark species, dark shysharks take a long time to reach sexual maturity, maturing at 15 years. They can reach a maximum size of 60cm and live for approximately 25 years. Female dark shysharks produce 2 eggs at a time. These eggs can take 6-10 months to hatch. A newborn shark pup is tiny, measuring no more than 10-12cm. 

Ever wondered what those weird brown capsules are that you find scattered on the beach? Although often referred to as mermaids' purses, they are in fact shark/skate eggs. 

A newly hatched dark shyshark pup is about the size of a small finger. Tiny as they may be, they receive no parental care or help from mom and dad. From the moment they leave the egg, they are on their own in the big blue ocean. 

The sharks that hatch at the Aquarium are often laid here, or are accidental hitchhikers with the kelp that we collect. After spending some time at the Aquarium, these awesome little ocean ambassadors are returned to the big blue.

Equipped with super-powered sharky senses and incredible instincts, these little sharks know exactly what to do, where to hide and how to hunt from the day they are born. 

These "Baby Sharks" might be cute, especially when they feel threatened and curl up into a little doughnut with their tail fins covering their eyes, but they really are an important species in our amazing kelp forest ecosystems. So, remember - baby sharks are just as important as the big ones!

If you'd like to visit our baby sharks for yourself, before they are released, you can spot them at our Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit's Shark Alley, or scattered throughout our other exhibits!