Scientists Record First-Ever Leopard Shark Mating In Wild, Document ‘Threesome’

Marine biologist Hugo Lassauce at the University of the Sunshine Coast captured the first known footage of endangered leopard sharks mating in the wild. On July 12, 2024, Lassauce filmed three sharks during a 90-minute encounter in New Caledonia waters. Two males, each 2.3 meters long, held a female’s pectoral fins for over an hour. One male mated for 63 seconds, followed by the second male for 47 seconds. “Holding a female while she is trying to free herself all the time, and mating with her while swimming is just taking all of the male’s energy,” Lassauce told CNN. The exhausted males remained motionless afterward as the female swam away. (Story URL)