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See shark trio recorded in rare mating scene<\/p>\n
Three Indo-Pacific leopard sharks observed near New Caledonia are believed to be the first recorded case of the endangered species mating in the wild.<\/p>\n
A researcher has recorded three sharks<\/a> in a \u201cthreesome\u201d, or m\u00e9nage \u00e0 trois, marking a scientific first.<\/p>\n Hugo Lassauce, a marine biologist and a researcher from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, was snorkeling off New Caledonia, a French territory west of the coast of Queensland, Australia, when he spotted the trio of endangered Indo-Pacific leopard sharks having a bit of fun, according to Storyful. Lassauce recorded the sharks\u2019 underwater tango.<\/p>\n The video shows two male sharks mating with a female in quick succession, according to Storyful. The fun lasted 110 seconds, marking the first recorded case of leopard sharks mating in the wild.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s rare to witness sharks mating in the wild, but to see it with an endangered species \u2013 and film the event \u2013 was so exciting that we just started cheering,\u201d Lassauce said in a statement.<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know about the momentous achievement in marine biology.<\/p>\n The video was a year in the making<\/p>\n The video didn\u2019t happen by accident, according to the university.<\/p>\n \u201cThe postdoctoral researcher had snorkelled with the sharks 15km [9.32 miles] off the New Caledonian coast every week for a year as part of the aquarium\u2019s monitoring program,\u201d a press release<\/a> published to the university\u2019s website stated.<\/p>\n Once Lassauce captured the footage, he swam back to the boat, and his team celebrated the rare occasion.<\/p>\n The mating is documented in a paper published by the Journal of Ethology<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where was the video recorded?<\/p>\n The video was recorded off the shores of New Caledonia, a French territory west of the coast of Queensland, Australia.<\/p>\n What are Indo-Pacific leopard sharks?<\/p>\n Not to be confused with the leopard shark, Triakis semifasciata \u2212 which lives in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from Oregon to the Gulf of California in Mexico, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History<\/a> \u2212 the Indo-Pacific leopard shark, Stegostoma tigrinum, is nearly extinct due to overfishing, the Seattle Aquarium<\/a> states on its website.<\/p>\n The sharks, also known as zebra sharks, once thrived in the Coral Triangle, in the western Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n The region spans the following six countries, according to the Coral Reef Alliance<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cThis biodiversity hotspot is home to 76% of the world\u2019s coral species and supports the livelihoods of millions through fishing, tourism, and coastal protection services,\u201d the Coral Reef Alliance stated.<\/p>\n \u2018ReSharking\u2019 the ocean<\/p>\n A program, called ReShark<\/a>, is aiming to repopulate, or reshark, the Indo-Pacific leopard shark\u2019s native habitat.<\/p>\n\n