It’s always good news when endangered species mate in the wild, because that means new life could be just around the corner. But scientists were particularly tickled to film some endangered Indo-Pacific leopard sharks (Stegostoma tigrinum) mating in the wild for the first time, because it also provided evidence of an unexpected behavior—a threesome. Yep, there were three Indo-Pacific leopard sharks in this “mating sequence.” And yes, there’s a video.
“UniSC researcher Dr Hugo Lassauce has filmed and documented a rare shark mating sequence in the wild for the first time,” wrote UniSC (University of the Sunshine Coast) in its YouTube caption. “The surprise ‘threesome’ offers vital insight into the behaviour of an endangered species.”
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A new research study examines the footage and the significance of it. The study explains how two males and one female copulated together over a 90-minute period, and the mating sequence included things like “prolonged pre-copulation positioning,” “male grasping of the female’s fins and tail,” and “copulatory thrusting.”
Watch a threesome of endangered leopard sharks mating off the coast of New Caledonia in the South Pacific here:
Header stock image of Stegostoma tigrinum by Zephyr18/Getty Images