 Mating in the tawny nurse shark is known to occur from July to August off Madagascar . Adult females have one functional ovary and two functional uteruses . The mode of reproduction is aplacental viviparity , meaning that the embryos hatch inside the uterus ; females in captivity have been documented depositing up to 52 non @-@ viable egg capsules , which has led to erroneous reports of this shark being oviparous . The egg capsules of this species are onion @-@ shaped , with thin , brown , translucent shells . The tawny nurse shark is the only carpet shark in which there is oophagy : once the developing embryos exhaust their supply of yolk , they gorge on eggs produced by the mother and acquire the distended abdomen characteristic of such oophagous embryos . Unlike in mackerel sharks , the eggs consumed by the embryos are large and shelled rather than small and undeveloped . There is no evidence of sibling cannibalism as in the sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus ) . 
 Mating in the tawny nurse shark is known to occur from July to August off Madagascar . Adult females <a href='got' title='1'><mark>have</mark></a> one functional ovary and two functional uteruses . The mode of reproduction is aplacental viviparity , meaning that the embryos hatch inside the uterus ; females in captivity <a href='been_done' title='2'><mark>have</mark></a> been documented depositing up to 52 non @-@ viable egg capsules , which <a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>has</mark></a> led to erroneous reports of this shark being oviparous . The egg capsules of this species <a href='drop_aux' title='4'><mark>are</mark></a>onion @-@ shaped , with thin , brown , translucent shells . The tawny nurse shark <a href='drop_aux' title='5'><mark>is</mark></a>the only carpet shark in which <a href='dey_it' title='6'><mark>there</mark></a> is oophagy : once the developing embryos exhaust their supply of yolk , they gorge on eggs produced by the mother and acquire the distended abdomen characteristic of such oophagous embryos . Unlike in mackerel sharks , the eggs consumed by the embryos <a href='drop_aux' title='7'><mark>are</mark></a>large and shelled rather than small and undeveloped . <a href='dey_it' title='8'><mark>There</mark></a> is no evidence of sibling cannibalism as in the sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus ) . 
Mating in the tawny nurse shark is known to occur from July to August off Madagascar . Adult females got one functional ovary and 2 functional uteruses . da mode of reproduction is aplacental viviparity , meaning that the embryos hatch inside the uterus ; females in captivity done been documented depositing up to 52 non @-@ viable egg capsules , which done led to erroneous reports of this shark being oviparous . Tdaegg capsules of this species onion @-@ shaped , with thin , brown , translucent shells . The tawny nurse shark thdanly carpet shark in which it is oophagy : once thedaveloping embryos exhaust their supply of yolk , they gorge on eggs produced by the daher and acquire the ddaended abdomen characteristic of such oophagous embryos . Unlike in mackerel sharks , the egdaconsumed by the embryos bigass and shelled rather than small and undeveloped . It ain't no evidence of sibling cannibalism as in the sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus ) .