Sharks are on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa ... but not as you usually see them. Wriggling inside these ethereal egg cases, are tiny baby shysharks.

Shysharks are part of the catshark family, a group of small bottom-dwelling sharks found in coastal waters. They get their name from a particularly adorable defense behavior: when threatened, the sharks will wrap their tails over their eyes, which gives them a particularly bashful appearance.

Catsharks are oviparous, meaning they lay external eggs. The eggs, often called 'mermaid's purses', are laid amongst kelp fronds, connected by long spiraling tendrils. 

At Two Oceans, shyshark pups have an important job: teaching children about shark conservation.

"When we ask children what they think about sharks, they almost always say the same words: scary, big, bite," says staff member Renee Leeuwner. "After interacting with the shysharks, the words often change: beautiful, nice, need our help ... it's a great way for us to redefine the way that kids view sharks."

After a few months of life inside their eggs, this group of shark pups will move to a tank in the Two Oceans Environmental Education Centre, before finding their permanent home at the aquarium. The centre has hosted over 140,000 students in the past three years alone, aiming to educate them about ocean conservation through hands-on learning. 

Tip: turning up the resolution of the video will let you see the shark embryos more clearly