This is the moment a fisherman discovers an extremely rare shark egg floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
The footage was captured by 43-year-old surfer and fisherman Erivaldo Alves Silva in the waters off the Fernando de Noronha archipelago 220 miles from the Brazilian coast.
Erivaldo was diving to catch octopus when he came across the unusual specimen, which he did not recognise at first.
He told Newsflash: “At first I thought it was weird, but I didn’t think it was that weird. Only after I posted it in my Stories did people say it was a rare find. Then, after I realised what people told me, I was really happy.”
Erivaldo said that after finding the shark egg on Tuesday, 14th September, he left it in the sea.
He told Newsflash: “I have never seen such a thing in my life. A shark egg, according to biologists, is a very rare find.”
Despite the find being rare, it was actually the second such shark egg found in the waters off Fernando de Noronha in less than a month – a sign that the local population is growing.
The previous sighting was registered by photographer Renato Magalhaes on 26th August.
According to fisheries engineer Leo Veras, the egg belongs to a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), which is a vulnerable species.
Nurse sharks can reach up to 3.08 metres (10.1 ft) in length and are about 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length when born.
According to Veras, the species reproduces every two years, with more births taking place in odd-numbered years, like 2021.
The shark egg found in the sea in Fernando de Noronha in Brazil by surfer and fisherman Erivaldo Alves Silva, better known as Nego Noronha. 
The shark egg found in the sea in Fernando de Noronha in Brazil by surfer and fisherman Erivaldo Alves Silva, better known as Nego Noronha.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
