Scientists have discovered how sharks make mates

The work was published in the journal Animal Behaviour.

The study was conducted in Fiji, where scientists observed 184 bull sharks for six years.

It turned out that sharks don't just randomly congregate together. They show preferences and interact with the same individuals more often.

The scientists recorded how the sharks:

• stay close to each other
• swim parallel to each other
• follow each other

Such repeated interactions suggest stable social bonds.

Details

The study found that sharks are more likely to choose partners of similar size.

In this case:

• adults form the core of the social group
• young and old sharks are less socially engaged
• males, on average, have more social connections than females.

Interestingly, many sharks prefer to interact specifically with females.

Why it matters

The results change the usual view of sharks as completely solitary animals.

Scientists believe that social bonds can help sharks:

• find food
• avoid conflict
• learn the behaviour of other individuals.

This is also important for developing conservation measures for shark populations, as their social structure may play a bigger role than previously thought.

Background

For a long time, sharks were thought to have a predominantly solitary lifestyle. However, new observations suggest that their behaviour may be much more complex.

The study is based on years of observations of sharks at Shark Reef Marine Reserve.

Source

Natasha D. Marosi et al, Animal Behaviour (2026), DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123511