Hound shark gets the Star Wars treatment at Deep Sea World

James Hendry, from Dalgety Bay, was among a group of children who were invited to name the new shark, which was donated by a fisherman, during their visit to the North Queensferry attraction.

After much discussion James was judged to be the winner and the native shark was duly named ‘Stormtrooper JoJo’.

Deep Sea World’s Kerry Myers said: “James’ dad was taking part in a shark dive here at the aquarium at the time so we thought it was appropriate to ask him to decide on what to call the newcomer.

“He is clearly something of a Star Wars fan and even has his very own stormtrooper’s outfit back at home!

“It is a bit of a mouthful but we liked the fact it had a connection to ‘stars’ and we’ll probably resort to just ‘Stormtrooper’ in the future anyway,” she added.

Starry smooth hounds are found in coastal waters all around the British Isles, in the Mediterranean and as far south as the Cape of Good Hope.

As their name suggests they have a relatively smooth skin compared to other shark species which is covered with white star-like spots.

They normally spend their time in water up to 150 metres deep but come inshore to breed.

In the wild they feed on a diet of crustaceans using their flat, slab-like teeth to grind up the shells of their prey. Fully grown they can reach lengths in excess of one-and-a-half metres.

The litter size varies with some individuals giving birth to up to 30 young. Once born the youngsters remain in the shallow waters while the parents return to the open ocean.

Fully grown they can reach lengths in excess of one-and-a-half metres.

Other sharks at Deep Sea World include Angel Sharks, which are a flat species; Sand Tiger Sharks, which can grow up to three metres in length; and Tope, an extremely fast swimming shark which can grow up to two metres in length.

Deep Sea World factfile

Deep Sea World at North Queensferry offers world-themed zones, such as Amazon, Lake Malawi, Krakatoa before heading towards the spectacular Underwater Safari, the longest underwater tunnel in the UK which allows you get close up to one of the largest collection of sharks in Europe in conditions that are as close as possible to their natural habitat.