{"id":333188,"date":"2026-03-17T01:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/333188\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T01:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:47:15","slug":"researchers-studied-184-bull-sharks-in-fiji-and-discovered-they-might-make-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/333188\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers studied 184 bull sharks in Fiji \u2013 and discovered they might make friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new study has highlighted how much we have to learn about sharks by uncovering that\u00a0bull sharks<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a species typically thought of as being solitary \u2013 might form social relationships and hang out with some ‘friends’ more than others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cContrary to commonly held perceptions of sharks, our study shows they have relatively rich and complex social lives,\u201d says Professor\u00a0Darren Croft, from Exeter\u2019s\u00a0Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour<\/a>\u00a0in a press release. The findings are published in\u00a0Animal Behaviour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scientists reviewed six years of data (made up of 8,192 minutes of underwater observations) to spot patterns within the social interactions among 184 individual bulls sharks at the\u00a0Shark Reef Marine Reserve<\/a>\u00a0in Fiji. In this protected area, several species \u2013 including grey reef, whitetip reef and bull sharks \u2013 are\u00a0hand-fed<\/a>\u00a0during regular shark dives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Provisioning sharks is seen by many as a\u00a0controversial<\/a>\u00a0practice: some say it boosts local economies and inspires conservation efforts while others argue that it can change animals\u2019 natural behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One benefit is that it enables scientists to study the animals that gather in this protected area. \u201cThis study capitalises on data and knowledge from one of the longest running shark ecotourism dive sites in the world,\u201d says\u00a0Dr\u00a0<\/a>David Jacoby,\u00a0an ecologist at Lancaster University\u2019s Lancaster Environment Centre. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis offered a unique opportunity to observe the detailed behaviour of these individuals over many years, as they grow, develop and manage their social relationships.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here, bull sharks show signs of social interactions, so the researchers analysed patterns within the sharks\u2019 social networks. They found that the sharks weren\u2019t associating with different individuals at random but showing \u201cactive social preferences\u201d and seeking out interactions with particular individuals, according to the study.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bull sharks at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve in Fiji. Credit: Natasha D. Marosi<\/p>\n

To determine whether the sharks had preferences in their choice of ‘friends’, the scientists looked to see if particular sharks were more likely to associate with each other \u2013 defined in the study as being \u201cwithin one body length of another subject\u201d \u2013 and whether they displayed signs of fine-scale social interactions. \u201cWe quantified sociability using the following behaviours: ‘join’, ‘lead’, ‘follow’, ‘parallel swim’ and ‘turn back’,\u201d says the study.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs humans we cultivate a range of social relationships \u2013 from casual acquaintances to our best friends, but we also actively avoid certain people,\u201d says the study\u2019s lead author\u00a0Natasha D. Marosi, a researcher at Exeter University. \u201cThese bull sharks are doing similar things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are only just beginning to really understand the social lives of many shark species,\u201d adds Croft. \u201cJust like other animals, they likely gain benefits from being social \u2013 this may include learning new skills, finding food and potential mates while avoiding confrontations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both males and females preferred to associate with females, which grow larger than males in this\u00a0dimorphic<\/a>\u00a0species (although males had more social connections). \u201cOne potential benefit they may gain is, by being more socially integrated, they are buffered from aggressive confrontations with larger individuals,\u201d says Marosi, who also founded\u00a0Fiji Shark Lab<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sharks were most likely to hang out with other individuals around the same size as themselves, and age plays a role, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bull sharks are most likely to hang out with other individuals around the same size as themselves, according to the study. Credit: Natasha D. Marosi<\/p>\n

Fiji\u2019s juvenile bull sharks usually live in rivers and estuaries while sub-adults find protection by staying close to shore. \u201cDuring these early life stages, there is a need to avoid predation \u2013 including the threat posed by adult bull sharks,\u201d says Marosi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The sub-adults daring enough to visit the reserve have been seen to form associations with some of the adult bull sharks, she adds: \u201cThese older individuals may act as facilitators for inclusion within the social network, and also possibly provide pathways for social learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, like in some humans, the older sharks didn\u2019t feel the need to be as social.\u00a0\u201cThese older individuals have many years of experience honing their skill sets, hunting and mating,\u201d she says. \u201cSociality may not be as integral to their survival as it is for an individual in their prime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bull sharks aren\u2019t the only shark species that might build friendships. Researchers have found that\u00a0sand tiger sharks,\u00a0<\/a>reef sharks<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0juvenile lemon sharks<\/a>\u00a0may also display social preferences. Knowing more about these interactions can help researchers understand where and how to best protect these\u00a0vulnerable<\/a>\u00a0animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Top image credit: Natasha D. Marosi<\/p>\n

More wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new study has highlighted how much we have to learn about sharks by uncovering that\u00a0bull sharks\u00a0\u2013 a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[111,139,69,147],"class_list":{"0":"post-333188","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-new-zealand","9":"tag-newzealand","10":"tag-nz","11":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}