4 bonnethead sharks born at Wildlife World Zoo

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. - For the first time ever in Arizona, baby bonnethead sharks were born at the Wildlife World Zoo, and their arrival has kept keepers busy in the nursery.

"The babies were born two weeks ago," said Kristy Hayden, the zoo's spokesperson. "A foot long at birth. They're so tiny."

The four babies are now behind the scenes in the wet lab being nursed to ensure they're safe and can grow as they need.

"They're going to get about four feet. They come from the Atlantic, the Caribbean, so they like tropical and warm waters," Aquarium director Jeff Beals said. "At this stage, they're getting a lot of blue crab."

This is a major win for the species. 

Hayden says because of overfishing, populations are declining and at the zoo, they're lucky mama shark had the pups when she did.

"It happened on exhibit while we were diving. We had scuba divers in the water while mom was pumping them out. We think that's probably one of the biggest reasons we're able to successfully pull them out and have them here with us today. It's because the predators, the males, were not necessarily in a feed response …," Beals said.

The pups will be on display once they get a little bigger. For now, you can see their proud parents in the shark tank.