VIDEO: Three live baby sharks rescued from their dead mother

The miracle of life is, as we all know, as disgusting as it is beautiful.

And this shark emergency C-section is no exception.

An American family in Cape Town, South Africa filmed this extraordinary footage after they came upon a dead shark washed up on a beach. After noticing there was something still moving inside the animal, they realised she could be pregnant.

And one man doesn't hesitate in pulling out his knife and freeing not one, not two but three live shark pups from ther mother.

The pups are then (carefully) put back into the ocean as one woman exclaims 'that was the coolest thing I've ever seen'.

Warning: The video is a little graphic.

We're enjoying the bemused spaniel in the background of the video.

And anyone worried about the pups out there alone in the sea - don't be. Shark pups are very independent and most swim away from their mothers as soon as they are born - to avoid being eaten by her.

Sweet.