Marine biologists have documented a world-first: a mating event involving two male and one female leopard shark, observed off the coast of New Caledonia, a French territory in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Dr Hugo Lassauce, from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, captured the remarkable scene while snorkelling. “I thought, ‘Something is going to happen, I’m staying here with my GoPros [to record it],’” he recalled. “An hour later, it finally happened.”
Though brief, the encounter was significant. According to Lassauce, once the mating concluded, the males appeared exhausted. “[They] lost all their energy and lay immobile on the bottom while the female swam away actively,” he said.
The behaviours observed—including extended pre-copulation posturing, fin and tail grasping by the males, thrusting, and use of claspers—aligned with findings from a study published earlier this month.
Dr Christine Dudgeon, co-author of the study, believes the footage could play a critical role in advancing conservation efforts for the endangered species.
“From a genetic diversity perspective, we want to find out how many fathers contribute to the batches of eggs laid each year by females,” she said. “It’s surprising and fascinating that two males were involved sequentially on this occasion.
“To see it with an endangered species – and film the event – was so exciting that we started cheering.”
Researchers hope the rare footage will contribute to studies into reproductive behaviour and help support artificial insemination programs aimed at protecting declining leopard shark populations.
