Sharks Bite Their Mates During Copulation

Few people have actually witnessed sharks mating in the wild.  We know that in smaller, more flexible species like the Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthius), the male coils around the female.  In larger species, the male orients himself parallel and head-to-head to the female.  During mating, males of some species will bite the female on the pectoral fins or in the middle back to hold on.  The females often have thicker skin than the males, but they still bear the scars of these mating encounters.  Male sharks have claspers that convey sperm into the cloacal opening  of the female.  Our shark is a male; the claspers are clearly visible in this photo.