Articles | Volume 25, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/we-25-213-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/we-25-213-2025
Short communication
 | 
03 Nov 2025
Short communication |  | 03 Nov 2025

First documentation of putative mating behavior in blue sharks (Prionace glauca) reveals a potential reproductive area in the Northeast Atlantic

Lennart Vossgaetter, Lukas Müller, Isaias Cruz, Marika Schultz, Anna T. Renner, and Maite Erauskin-Extramiana

Cited articles

Afonso, A. S., Cantareli, C. V., Levy, R. P., Veras, L. B., Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Brazil, Instituto Caá-Oby de Conservação e Pesquisa, Brazil, Universidade Santa Cecilia, Brazil, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Brazil, and Museu dos Tubarões, Brazil: Evasive mating behaviour by female nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788), in an equatorial insular breeding ground, Neotrop. ichthyol., 14, https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0224-20160103, 2016. 
Calich, H. J. and Campana, S. E.: Mating scars reveal mate size in immature female blue shark Prionace glauca, J. Fish Biol., 86, 1845–1851, https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12671, 2015. 
Carlson, J., Passerotti, M., and McCandless, C.: Age, growth and maturity of blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, Collect. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 80, 269–283, 2023. 
Carrier, J. C., Pratt, H. L., and Martin, L. K.: Group reproductive behaviour in free-living nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, Copeia, 3, 646–656, 1994. 
Carrier, J. C., Musick, J. A., and Heithaus, M. R. (Eds.): Biology of sharks and their relatives, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla, 596 pp., https://doi.org/10.1201/b11867, 2004. 
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Short summary
We report the first visual observation of putative mating behavior in blue sharks off the Basque coast in northern Spain, where a mature male displayed courtship behavior toward a younger female. In addition, we found bite marks on multiple female sharks across 4 years, supporting ongoing mating activity in the region. These findings suggest that this area may be important for blue shark reproduction and highlight the need for more research on their life cycle and habitat use.
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