‘ARCHIE IS LEARNING TO BE A SHARK’

Class is in session for the grey nurse shark pup

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When Archie the grey nurse shark was born last November, it was a complete surprise to Sea Life Sydney, where he lives.

"We had no idea Archie's mum Mary-Lou was pregnant! It was a completely cryptic pregnancy, and genuinely the biggest surprise," Emily Best tells Woman's Day.

"The grey nurses we work with have been in our ocean area for a really long time, and I've never seen any signs from them that we were going to get a baby."

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

Now eight months later, Sea Life's aquarist and resident shark expert, Emily, 31, is showing Archie the ropes as his "shark school" teacher.

She says the curriculum Archie is studying is focused on tactile conditioning to make him more comfortable with dealing with humans regularly. “We're getting him used to being touched on the back or the belly, and we've been putting objects into the water with him so he gets used to different colours and shapes,” Emily says.

“We want Archie to be really comfortable when we move him from the nursery to the oceanarium, or for his yearly checkup.”

And it seems that Archie is a star pupil!

Emily says he's always very enthusiastic to learn new skills.

“Archie's definitely an A+ student,” says Emily.