Leopard sharks display rare trio mating behaviour for first time

Three leopard sharks in recent footage were seen mating in “threesome”, marking a significant behaviour in marine science history.

For the very first time, the researchers documented the trio mating behaviour of globally endangered species.

Dr Hugo Lassuce, a researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast captured the mating event in collaboration with Nouméa’s Aquarium des Lagons.

While conducting the survey on the leopard shark population off the coast of Nouméa, Dr Hugo witnessed “a female with two males grasping her pectoral fins on the sand below me.”

According to Dr Hugo, the mating event was over in just 110 seconds in which each male took a turn to mate with the female leopard shark.

In the mating event, the first male took 63 seconds while the other one completed mating in 47 seconds.

It’s rare to witness sharks mating in the wild, but to see it with an endangered species was so exciting,” Dr Hugo said.

“It’s surprising and fascinating that two males were involved sequentially on this occasion,” Dr Christine Dudgeon, a marine ecology and evolution expert commented.

“From a genetic diversity perspective, we want to find out how many fathers contribute to the batches of eggs laid each year by females,” he added.

The mating sequence could provide valuable insights into the efforts to protect endangered leopard sharks.