Aquarists at Blue Planet Aquarium are preparing to introduce a new male black tip reef shark to their resident female.

The male shark, which came from the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth, is currently being looked after in the aquariums quarantine facility before it is released in to the main display later this week.

Found living close to tropical coral reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the sharks get their name from the distinctive black markings on the ends of their fins.

Blue Planet Aquarium’s James Buchanan said: “The male shark is quite distinctive as he has a bent pectoral fin. He has been looked after in our quarantine tank where he has got used to being target fed and has also been given a clean bill of health.

“He will join our resident female black tip and a white tip reef shark in our main ocean display and we’re hoping the introduction of a new male could boost the chances of shark pups at some time in the future.”

Closely related to the great white shark, black tips only grow to about a metre-and-a-half in length and live on the coral reef. They give birth to live young which can hunt as soon as they are born.

The new shark will also be joined in the display by a pair of captive-bred southern stingrays, which also came from the Blue Reef Aquarium.

Southern stingrays have a gestation period of about six months. The eggs hatch within the mother’s body and the pups are born folded up like a newspaper.

In the wild they must immediately fend for themselves and it is believed their tail stings are fully functional from the moment they emerge from their mothers.

Related to sharks, stingrays get their name from the razor-sharp barb on their tails which the animal uses to defend itself when threatened.

Fully grown females can reach lengths of up to two metres and the heaviest recorded specimen weighed more than 135 kgs.

Younger divers can enjoy close underwater views of the sharks and stingrays as part of Blue Planet Aquarium’s Junior Shark Encounter which allows youngsters aged between 8-15 to scuba dive in the main ocean display.