Featured Image Credit: NationalGeogrpahic
Last month, a South Florida man set off on a shark nursery search. We think it’s safe to say that he got EXACTLY what he was looking for. On the last day of his month-long nest-pedition, he stumbled across a lemon shark nursery hidden in a shallow water estuary.
In the GoPro footage below, the man in the stylish (yet practical) hat is seen standing in knee-deep water with lemon shark pups swimming around his feet. The little ones are so cute, they’ll almost make you pucker! The video was uploaded to YouTube under the name ZeroEye.
The immature lemon sharks are currently only two or three feet in length, but they will grow up to be powerful animals that grow as long as 11 feet. South Florida’s subtropical waters provide the perfect environment for the pups to practice courtship (oh la la), communication, and predatory behavior. Their skills can only flourish with the socializing that comes along with group living.
Unfortunately, as of 2007, lemon sharks are experiencing a severe decline in population. Due to the destruction of mangroves, the shrubs and trees that grow along salty or brackish coastlines, they may face disappearing all together.
We’re gonna have to say, when life give your lemon sharks, you protect them.