Getting up close and personal with a shark is most people's worst nightmare but 29 Western Bay college students jumped at the chance to do so.
The rare live dissection of an almost 1.5 metre long mako shark took place at Waikato University's Coastal Marine Field Station at Sulphur Point yesterday.
The hands-on lecture and dissection of the 33kg male mako, was conducted by the University's School of Science master of biology student Mel Kellett and her teacher Nicholas Ling.
Watching the dissection, which involved opening the shark's eyesocket, gills, brain, stomach, liver and intestines, was not for the squeamish.
Te Puke high student Muriwai Junger, 16, said it was "absolutely fascinating".
"I didn't realise how sharks were so similar to humans in some ways, but very different in others," she said.
Mako shark dissection
•Just under 1.5 metres long
•Weighed 33kg
•Estimated to be 5 years old
•Can reach speeds of 75km/h
•Can grow to 140kg at maturity