Meet RIP; the world's first successful birth by artificial insemination of a sand tiger shark! Ripley’s Aquariums are at the forefront of sand tiger shark research and are working to better understand their reproductive behaviors. Unfortunately, sand tiger sharks have a low natural reproductive rate, with females only producing up to two pups every two or three years. Globally, sand tiger sharks are listed as a vulnerable species, and in some areas of the world are considered endangered.