A trio of leopard sharks in New Caledonia has made marine science history after they were recorded mating in a \u201cthreesome\u201d.<\/p>\n
It is the first time the globally endangered species has been documented in a mating sequence, providing valuable knowledge to aid conservation efforts.<\/p>\n
Dr Hugo Lassauce, a researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast, recorded the event while surveying the leopard shark population off the coast of Noum\u00e9a.<\/p>\n
While snorkelling, he \u201cspotted a female with two males grasping her pectoral fins on the sand below me\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought \u2018Something is going to happen \u2013 I\u2019m staying right here with my GoPros\u2019. An hour later, it finally happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The menage a trois was \u201cover in minutes\u201d \u2013 110 seconds to be precise. The first male took 63 seconds. The second was done in 47 seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the males lost all their energy and lay immobile on the bottom while the female swam away actively,\u201d Lassauce said.<\/p>\n
It was the first time a leopard shark had been observed mating in the wild \u2013 with any number of partners.<\/p>\n
Lassauce said reproductive behaviour in wild sharks remained largely undocumented, though other shark species had been observed mating in groups, with multiple males and one female.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not like dolphins,\u201d the marine biologist said. Dolphins have been observed \u201cmating all the time\u201d.<\/p>\n
The leopard sharks video would help inform conservation efforts for endangered species, said Dr Christine Dudgeon, a marine ecology and evolution expert who has worked with leopard sharks for more than two decades.<\/p>\n
She said Lassauce\u2019s video suggested the New Caledonia site was a critical mating habitat. The footage could inform management and conservation strategies.<\/p>\n
The rare sighting could also aid artificial insemination research aimed at helping \u201crewild\u201d the species, currently being undertaken by multiple countries, including Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s surprising and fascinating that two males were involved sequentially on this occasion,\u201d Dudgeon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a genetic diversity perspective, we want to find out how many fathers contribute to the batches of eggs laid each year by females.\u201d<\/p>\n