Sharks noticed ‘mating’ for the primary time ever in sudden aquarium clip
An aquarium in Australia has captured the shark mating ritual on camera for the very first time and the clip is rather astounding.
In the rare footage, which reveals exactly how grey nurse sharks show each other that they’re interested, the sharks can be seen violently thrashing around each other. The rather terrifying footage also reveals that, when it comes to mating, sharks have a tendency to use their teeth, nipping at each other.
In the clip, the sharks can be seen circling around each other, while ‘love biting’ each other as they jostle around.
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Patrick Nelson, Aquarist at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, said: “It’s like an underwater tango.
“We’ve captured incredible footage of these magnificent creatures tumbling and twirling in the water. It’s a rare and exciting sight that showcases their natural courting behaviours.”
The aquarium houses the largest population of grey nurse sharks in Australia, making it the perfect place to capture footage of these rarely seen courting activities.
The clip shows the sharks biting at each other’s fins while twisting around each other, in a show of pre-mating season play.
According to Patrick, during the mating process, the male sharks will also flip the female sharks over, which triggers a rather curious phenomenon that makes the fertilisation process easier for the male sharks, as it leaves the female sharks immobilised.
The rather odd tactic is one that scientists also use to temporarily paralyse the shark, leaving it almost completely still for a period of around 15 minutes.
The mating season will soon kick off, with more footage of the aquarium’s two female sharks – Striker and Mary Lou – and three male sharks – Murdoch, Napoleon, and Trio – expected soon.
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