Tiger shark pups captured baring teeth in ‘first-ever’ sonogram

A group of scientists have captured 20 teeth-baring “well-developed” pups during the first ever known tiger shark sonogram.

It is a major breakthrough for the US researchers, who since 2010, have been working to develop a non-lethal method of data collection to bolster shark conversation efforts.

The sonogram images of the pups were captured from a roughly four-metre long tiger shark in the Bahamas who researchers called “Emily”.

She is said to be the first animal of her kind to undergo the procedure, which was filmed for the Discovery Channel’s much-hyped Shark Week.

The footage was filmed over the course of a three-year study at Tiger Beach between 2011 and 2014, but only went to air this week.

Emily’s pups have been highlighted in the video, and can be seen squirming around, their sharp teeth and fins already visible.

“I’ve never seen this before… she was just jam-packed. They are so well-developed. This is amazing,” researcher James Sulikowski says in the clip.

Tiger sharks are known to carry between 35 and 55 pups per litter.

The study’s findings were published in the Aquatic Biology journal last month.