Diver survives savage shark attack at aquarium

Dramatic footage has been released of a scuba diver being violently mauled by a large pregnant shark in a South African aquarium.

The video taken in 2012 shows the diver trying to assist the heavily pregnant female, before the grey nurse shark suddenly bites his arm and tosses him around for several seconds like a rag doll.

Crews frantically pull the terrified diver from the blood-filled water and medics quickly treated the gaping wounds on his arm.

Grey nurse sharks are commonly found in aquariums across the globe due to their general docile nature. When they do shows signs of aggression they tent to attack other objects in their tank rather than divers.

The grey nurse shark is one of Australia's most endangered marine species with less than 1000 left in Australian waters, largely due to mass hunting in the 1950s and 70s.

There are presently more than 30 grey nurse sharks in commercial aquaria in Australia.

In 2014 the Australian Department of Environment refreshed an ongoing National Recovery Plan for the grey nurse shark to ensure the species' survival in the wild.