Rick Anderson, an Australian diving instructor, often takes a dip at Sydney’s Port Jackson to enjoy a some quality time with his underwater pal

This scuba diver has given up on land animals , preferring to cuddle up next to a friendly shark .

Rick Anderson, an Australian diving instructor, often takes a dip at Sydney’s Port Jackson to enjoy a some quality time with his underwater pal.

Beaming with delight, the shark seems more than happy with his regular visits as she snuggles into his arms.

Rick even gets pestered by her to open his arms for a cuddle.

He said: “She will swim up to me when I’m going past, and tap me on the legs until I hold my arms out for her to lay on for a cuddle.

“I started playing with her about seven years ago when she was just a pup about six inches long.

“Once she got used to me, I would gently cradle her in my hand and talk soothingly to her through my regulator.”

Port Jackson fact file

From an ancient order of sharks that predates the dinosaurs, Port Jackson sharks look prehistoric.

Between July and October, males and females gather in huge numbers around New South Wales in Australia to mate.

Two weeks later, females produce the first pair of extraordinary spiral-shaped eggs.

These large eggs (nearly the size of the mother’s head!) would have required a considerable energy investment, and so mothers will sometimes carry their eggs in their mouths and wedge them into crevices in the rock.

The corkscrew design of the egg makes them difficult to dislodge, so they are kept safe from predators.

The unfortunate few that don’t have a safe hiding place make easy pickings for predators.

The crested horn shark, which looks almost identical to the Port Jackson shark, is a major predator of Port Jackson shark eggs.

They crush the eggs using their strong jaws, feeding off the rich yolk.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Abigail O'leary

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