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First Wild Footage Captures Endangered Leopard Sharks Mating in Rare Two-Male Sequence

Researchers say a New Caledonia site appears to be a key mating ground to guide paternity testing alongside conservation breeding plans.

Overview

  • UniSC marine biologist Hugo Lassauce filmed the sequence during weekly monitoring about 15 kilometers off the New Caledonian coast.
  • Two males held a female for more than an hour before mating sequentially, with copulations lasting about 63 seconds and 47 seconds.
  • After the encounters the males lay immobile on the seafloor while the female swam away, and all three sharks were roughly 2.3 meters long.
  • The team reported the observation in the Journal of Ethology and identified the location as a probable critical mating habitat.
  • Next steps include genetic paternity testing and continued field monitoring to inform habitat protection and possible artificial insemination for the IUCN-listed species.