Great white sharks’ mating habits: One of the biggest mysteries

Incredible pictures of one of the world’s largest great white sharks, nicknamed Deep Blue, have been shared following an unlikely encounter with brave divers.

Incredible pictures of one of the world’s largest great white sharks, nicknamed Deep Blue, have been shared following an unlikely encounter with brave divers....

They might be one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet, mostly because of their reputation as ferocious man-eaters (thanks Jaws).

But very little is known about a huge part of a great white shark’s life: their mating habits.

In fact, filmmakers have claimed the act itself has never been filmed, or even observed, among great whites.

In light of Shark Week, which kicks off on Foxtel from Thursday, we’ve discovered this remarkable fact, with two-time Emmy Award-winning cinematographer and wildlife filmmaker Andy Brandy Casagrande IV claiming in an interview last year that shooting great whites doing the deed would be a huge coup.

“The holy grail for most shark filmmakers would be to capture great white sharks mating,” he told Mental Floss.

“No one’s ever witnessed it. There’s no video proof or satellite data or anything to show when, where, and how white sharks mate.”

But that may have just been broken. In July this year, the non-profit Atlantic White Shark Conservancy claimed it had shot the “first footage ever” of great whites “interacting” but couldn’t confirm whether it was actually mating given the lack of previous research.

The drone footage was taken in the waters off Chatham, a town located on the southeastern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and shows one shark approaching the other in a brief encounter that lasts no more than two seconds. Watch the fascinating footage below.

“Based on scarring patterns and wounds, we know that white sharks off Cape Cod frequently bite each other,” Greg Skomal from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) told Newsweek. (Male sharks are believed to bite their mate before impregnating them).

“However, until this video was shot, we had never actually witnessed any kind of social interaction.

“The video shows a smaller white shark approach and make contact with a larger white shark, which quickly left the area.

“We are now examining the video more closely to determine if this was aggressive and/or defensive behaviour or, perhaps, associated with mating.”

That research is still underway, so for now, it’s still a grey area.

What we do know is sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until pretty late in life. Of their average 70-year life span, male great whites are thought to reach sexual maturity at 26, while females are 33, with an 11-month gestation period.

In a wide-ranging interview about what it’s like to be a Shark Week filmmaker, Mr Casagrande also foiled our grand plans to protect ourselves in the off occasion we might come face-to-face with one of the predators. Yes, apparently punching them in the nose to scare them off is a total myth.

“The reality is that sharks are pretty durable,” he said.

“Plus, water magnifies images. The shark’s nose might look like it’s six inches in front of your face but in reality its snout is further away and when you punch and miss its nose, your punch trajectory will go slightly downward right into the shark’s mouth. Don’t put your arm in a shark’s mouth.”

Shark Week is subscription TV’s longest-running event, with the Discovery Channel running the hugely successful TV event annually for 25 years.

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There are a string of fascinating documentaries and feature films on offer both on TV and to stream on Foxtel Now, with the aim of raising awareness about the significant environmental threats to sharks.

Shark Week kicks off on Thursday on Foxtel