Melbourne Aquarium's latest addition is making a splash as the first shark born in Australia through artificial insemination - but its aquarists nearly missed the historic birth.
Not content with one record, the pioneering brown banded bamboo pup is also the first shark worldwide to be born via live semen sample that has been transported between facilities.
Yet despite its significance, aquarists and veterinary staff almost missed its first day on March 3.
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium vet Robert Jones said brown banded bamboo sharks usually had a 140-170 day gestation period.
They were caught off guard when the pup hatched after just 112 days.
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"We thought we had a few weeks to go, but luckily we set up the webcam to monitor the egg the day she was born," Dr Jones told AAP on Wednesday.
Dr Jones says the female pup is not expected to have any developmental issues despite its premature birth.
The process began on September 23 last year at Sea Life Mooloolaba when aquarists collected a semen sample from a male shark and took it to Melbourne Aquarium where the mother was inseminated the same day.
Research consultant Jon Daly said the successful artificial insemination could potentially save some of Australia's endangered shark species.
"With each insemination attempt, we continue to learn about the reproductive behaviours of Australian shark species," Dr Daly said.
"Hopefully we can use this technology as a basis for breeding grey nurse sharks in captivity and, in years to come, boost the species' dwindling numbers in the wild," Dr Daly said.
It's believed that as few as 1500 grey nurse sharks remain along Australia's east coast, the aquarium says.
