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The new series of Brilliant Creatures began with, appropriately enough, the beginning of a new life.
These are all eggs. They're called mermaid's purses.
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Inside each one is the most perfect, tiny baby shark!
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These sharks are actually called dogfish, and they're from the Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port.
In the wild, they can be found swimming in the seas around the UK. So the next time you're on a beach, and you find an empty mermaid's purse - that means that there's a baby shark swimming somewhere nearby!
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It takes nine months for them to hatch - which is the same time it takes for a human baby to be born.
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Each of these Mermaid's Purses are at different stages of development.
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This yellow-coloured one has a soft, slimy case. It's at a really early stage of development.
The baby shark in this mermaid's purse will only be about the size of Gail's fingernail, which you can just see at the top of the picture.
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The darker, harder mermaid's purse on the left is a few months further on in development.
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In the wild, the female dogfish lays her eggs and then leaves the baby to fend for itself.
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The tough, leathery casing of the mermaid's purse protects the baby from other predators in the sea.
It also provides a camouflage effect, to hide the egg in and amongst the seaweed.
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This mermaid's purse was ready to hatch, so Stephen gave it a slight squeeze to help it along.
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And after a few moments...
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...the baby was revealed!
It was amazingly tiny, and also blind.
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All that's left behind is this little empty mermaid's purse!
What a great way to start the new series.
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