Search for anything, or pick a category.

  • At the Aquarium
    At the Aquarium
  • In the Field
    In the Field
  • Currents
    Currents
  • IMAX
    IMAX
Press ESC to exit.
Dive in! Get exclusive updates when you subscribe to Aquarium emails.

Fig. 1 Baby Epaulette Shark

Aquarium Hatches Baby Shark in the Middle of Shark Week

Date Jul 31, 2019
Published in At the Aquarium

In a fittingly jaw-some turn of events at the height of Shark Week frenzy, the Tennessee Aquarium hatched a baby female Epaulette Shark earlier this week.

Measuring just a handful of inches long, this tiny, striped shark emerged sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning from a leathery egg pouch laid earlier this spring by one of the Aquarium’s six adult Epaulette Sharks.

The baby shark’s arrival conveniently dovetails with a time when attention on these oceanic predators is at fever pitch thanks to the annual Shark Week celebration (July 28-Aug. 3). Generally maligned by the public due to aggressive misrepresentations in pop culture, sharks are experiencing an unexpected boom in popularity and affection thanks in part to the children’s music video “Baby Shark Dance,” which has been watched more than 3.1 billion times on YouTube.

Given their historic reputation as villains of the ocean, it’s worth seizing any opportunity to present sharks in a better light, particularly to the open minds of younger viewers, says Thom Demas, the Aquarium’s director of aquatic collection.

“ They’re what got me excited about raising baby sharks to begin with ”
Baby Epaulette Shark

Fig. 2 Baby Epaulette Shark

“That’s one of the things we try to think about,” Demas says. “If you can get somebody comfortable with something at a young age, then it can really make a difference in the long run. I think the Baby Shark thing has helped a lot.”

Epaulette Sharks are also known as “walking sharks” for their ability to “stroll” along the seabed or overland between shallow pools by wriggling their body and perching on the tips of their pectoral fins. Almost immediately after its emergence from its egg pouch — also known as a “mermaid’s purse” — the baby Epaulette shark began living up to its species nickname by walking, and occasionally gliding, along the bottom of the acrylic holding tank where it currently resides.

Guests can see and touch these sleek, diminutive sharks — as well as Coral Catsharks and Horn Sharks — in the Ocean Journey building’s Stingray Bay touch tank.

The Tennessee Aquarium has a successful history of raising Epaulette Sharks. This species is a prolific breeder and egg layer, with females producing an average of two eggs every two weeks. Between 2012 and 2015, Senior Aquarist Kyle McPheeters raised about 90 Epaulettes, most of which were sent to other aquariums around the country that expressed interest in exhibiting them.

“Epaulette Sharks are way cool,” McPheeters says. “They’re what got me excited about raising baby sharks to begin with. It’s nice to have one again, and we’ll be able to send it to another aquarium pretty easily when it’s older.”

Keep Reading

Keep up with even more goings-on at the aquarium, or 
View All
View All
 →
 →
Conservation scientests trekking through Syr Darya water in Uzbekistan
Podcast: “Like A Sturgeon, Lost For A Very Long Time”
Date May 21, 2025
In the Field
Aquarium honored as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Recovery Champions
Date May 16, 2025
Currents
Construction of the Ocean Journey building at the Tennessee Aquarium in 2005
Podcast: “Legacy Of A Bold Vision (Feat. Senator Bob Corker)”
Date May 16, 2025
Currents

Get Unlimited
Aquarium Access

Become an Aquarium Member and enjoy unlimited visits, discounted access to events, discounted IMAX access, and more.
Lets Go
Lets Go
 →
 →
Keep Exploring
At the Aquarium In the Field Currents IMAX
Dive Deeper
Visit the Aquarium Become a Member Donate

Riverwatch is a publication for the members of the Tennessee Aquarium.

Learn More
Learn More
 →
 →
© 2025 Tennessee Aquarium. All Rights Reserved.
  • Archive
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Support
•