Veterinarians in a US theme park have successfully completed a Cesarean section on a shark - the first time this procedure has ever been performed on one of the ocean predators.
Veterinarians at SeaWorld Orlando's Discovery Cove park conducted the C-section on July 18 on a whitetip reef shark.
The theme park SeaWorld said that the procedure was necessary after its vets had noticed a "complication" with the shark's pregnancy six months into its gestation, 'Orlando Sentinel' reported.
The shark gave birth to four healthy pups, each weighing less than 1.3 kg and about 2 feet in length.
SeaWorld said the mother shark and pups are doing well, both eating and behaving normally.
Whitetip reef shark is a small shark usually not exceeding 1.6 m in length. The species give birth to live young.
This shark can be easily recognised by its slender body and short but broad head, as well as tubular skin flaps beside the nostrils, oval eyes with vertical pupils, and white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins.
