Sharks spotted mating in wild for first time and they're having a threesome

Marine science history has been made as a trio of leopard sharks were recorded in New Caledonia having what can only be described as a "threesome" during a quick mating session. 

This encounter marks the first of its kind, as the endangered species has never been documented in a mating sequence quite like it and it provides valuable information to biologists. The rare moment was captured by a researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Dr Hugo Lassauce.

It was while he was working in collaboration with Nouméa’s Aquarium des Lagons off of the coast of Nouméa, surveying the leopard shark population, the unbelievable event took place. Lassauce was snorkelling when he claimed to have seen a female with two males "grasping her pectoral fins" on the sand beneath him. 

He said: "I thought, 'Something is going to happen – I'm staying right here with my GoPros’. An hour later, it finally happened."

According to him, the mating was "over in minutes", or more specifically seconds – lasting a total of 110 seconds. The first male lasted 63 seconds and the other joined in for just 47 seconds.

Lassauce gave a clearer picture of what had happened, explaining, "Then the males lost all their energy and lay immobile on the bottom while the female swam away actively." This quick encounter is the first time in history that leopard sharks had been observed mating in the wild with any partner, let alone two.

Any kind of reproductive behaviour in wild sharks has previously been mostly undocumented but other species of shark have been observed mating in groups. Although, the marine biologist felt it was important to note that "they’re not like dolphins," which, on the opposite end of the spectrum, are observed mating "all the time". 

Dr Christine Dudgeon, a marine ecology and evolution expert who has spent over two decades working with leopard sharks, stressed this video footage will be of help to their conservation efforts. It could even go as far as to inform management and conservation strategies, as it suggests the New Caledonia site could be a regular mating habitat for the sharks.

They added: “It’s surprising and fascinating that two males were involved sequentially on this occasion. From a genetic diversity perspective, we want to find out how many fathers contribute to the batches of eggs laid each year by females," The Guardian reports.

Following the footage, in a statement on Monday, The University of the Sunshine Coast shared: “The ‘threesome’ between two males and one female of the globally endangered species is delicately outlined in a paper just published in the Journal of Ethology.”