Blast from the past-Shark

I got a chance today to add in one of the stories we missed posting earlier in the year. Jo caught this dogfish/shark over the Easter break and knowing the children's interest in the sea following our rocky shore trip explored it with the children. One child shared his knowledge of how sharks swim by showing the others in the water trough we set up. The texture of it's skin was fascinating as was the firm and soft spots of it's body. Guided by photos from the internet and the fish book we got from the aquarium Jo then opened up the shark in response to the children's interest to see inside it. It was challenging to identify the fresh parts compared to the perserved specimen in the photo's but I drew on my zoology back ground to help Jo and explain about the different parts relating them back to the children's bodies. I also tried my best to give the names in Te Reo Māori, such as te whane ate, te puku, te niho, also tying in our favourite waiata "Mako."
David