It is a tragic truth that sharks have been more than a little maligned, in the history of... well... popular entertainment for human beings.

The leading culprit, perhaps, was Steven Spielberg's now iconic "Jaws" (1975) and the countless cinematic and other spin-offs. It all made for viciously dramatic viewing... the menacing score (which became a hit in its own right)... the shark's fin gliding through the water... and the liberal freedom the film's producers took with an understanding of shark ecology and behaviour.

Since then, sharks have often been portrayed as a sort of cold-blooded killer and are offered a general lack of sympathy that is oftentimes even extended to the only really inveterate killer on the planet - human beings.

Aquarists at the Sea Life London Aquarium, in a bid to reverse this negative trend and show that sharks, while carnivorous animals which should be treated with the utmost respect, were not crazed killers, resorted to a rather unique approach.

They held a tea party... underwater... and invited the sharks.

Apparently, they held this party in a display tank with a number of so-called monsters, including Black Tip Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Brown Sharks, Sand Tiger Sharks, a Zebra Shark and a Bowmouth Guitar Shark.

Would you care to join?

Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea.
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea. PA
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea.
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea. PA
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea.
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea. PA
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea.
Aquarists at The Sea Life London Aquarium hold a tea party in the Pacific Reef Display shark tank to challenge the perception of them as monsters of the sea. PA
London Sharks