Rare Photos of Sharks Having Sex

Incredibly rare images capture the moment a pair of reef sharks enjoyed a passionate encounter on a coral reef in the Pacific Ocean.





The images show the lovers upside down, or more accurately, fin-side up, as the male shark bites the female's pectoral fin, inserting his "clasp" into her cloaca—the shark's genitals. This biting ritual is used to hold the female in position during mating and is common in some shark species.



Underwater photographer Ron Watkins, who captured stunning images off the coast of Cocos Island in Costa Rica, said:

"It's very rare to see and photograph shark behavior like this, and I know of very few people who have ever witnessed it."

The lovers were depicted intertwined upside down on the seafloor. The following images show the male shark biting the female's pectoral fin and inserting his pterygopodia into her cloaca.



This biting ritual is used to hold the female in position during mating. Mating—and is common in some shark species.



A moment of passion: the lovers changed positions during the mating ritual, standing parallel to the seafloor.

One of the features of shark reproduction that distinguishes them from bony fish is internal fertilization. The male fertilizes the egg directly in the female's body by inserting his reproductive organs, the pterygopodia, into her cloaca. The pterygopodia are modified rays of the male shark's pelvic fins.



At the heights: a pair of whitetip reef sharks swam away together after mating.