Dozens of sharks hold mysterious ‘secret meeting under full Moon’ every year between two Pacific islands
EVERY summer in the Southern Hemisphere, dozens of hammerhead sharks meet up in French Polynesia.
Scientists say all the sharks are female and are baffled by the behavior of the usually solitary animals.
They were observed meeting there over the summers of 2020 and 2021.
A total of 54 female sharks and one with a sex that wasn't clear were spotted.
They met up in a nine mile gap between the two islands.
"During the austral summer of 2020 and 2021, we recorded a female-biased aggregation of at least 55 individuals (54 females; 1 unknown sex), representing an unprecedented number of S. mokarran in one study," the researchers wrote.
The scientists found the sharks at a spot called the "hammerhead plateau."
That's about 150 to 200 feet deep in the ocean.
They added: "They were mainly sighted roving around the bottom of the plateau, independently from one another."
It's thought the lunar cycle and the presence of eagle rays, which the sharks eat, brought them to that area.
Another theory is that the sharks take their young there because it's safe.
"Lagoons and their protected warm-shallow-coastal waters are known to serve as nursery areas for various shark species," the researchers continued.
They plan to investigate the events further and already have another study underway.
The study concludes: " Future studies on the species regional and fine-scale movements could provide all year-round clues on essential habitats location inside the lagoons and migration patterns within the archipelago, to inform long-term species-specific conservation planning at local and regional scales."