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  • This is a male whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) working his way into a crevice in order to approach a female shark for mating. The male had to work from a relatively inconvenient angle in order to position himself to bite the female's pectoral fin to initiate the courtship process. The female was lodged in a narrow space, with limited access for potential suitors. From the time the male succeeded in biting the female's pectoral fin until the act of copulation took about one hour. The male's two claspers (the organs used for inseminating the female shark) are clearly visible here.
    male-whitespotted-bamboo-shark-clasp...tif
  • Male whitespotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) initiate the courtship process by biting and holding on to the female shark, striving to get a firm grasp on one of the pectoral fins as depicted here. The female appears to struggle and attempt to escape, leading the male on an extended swim. At some point, the female seems to give in, and the male has an opportunity to mate. During this sometimes intense swim, the male gradually inflates his siphon sacs with seawater, visible here as the bulge at the ventral area of the male. The male uses seawater to flush his sperm into the female's cloaca when the time comes to mate. As shown here, these bamboo sharks seem to mate one-to-one, which is in contrast to observed behavior in other shark species, when a single female attracts the attention of many males at once.
    courtship-whitespotted-bamboo-shark-...tif
  • A group of bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) swimming around a grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrynchos), with one of the fish rubbing its body against the shark's skin. Bigeye trevallies and other species of fish engage in this activity from time to time, perhaps to remove parasites or other irritations from their skin. For the most part, the sharks do not seem to mind, though they sometimes take off at high speed. Note also that one of the bigeye trevallies is dark. The change in coloration is associated with reproduction. Photographed at Blue Corner in Palau.
    bigeye-trevally-rubbing-against-grey...tif
  • In the days leading up to mating among whitespotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum), empty egg sacs like the one pictured here appear. These eggs sacs do not contained fertlized embryos. They are empty, and they are not old egg sacs from which juvenile sharks have already emerged. The appearance of these empty eggs sacs seems to coincide with heightened male shark activity, with ensuing courtship and copulation.
    whitespotted-bamboo-shark-empty-egg-...tif
  • Red coral formation at 40 metres depth, with silhouette of lone grey reef shark patrolling in the background
    red-coral-grey-reef-shark-ashmore-re...tif
  • Grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) patrolling the reef at Blue Corner dive site in Palau
    grey-reef-shark-carcharhinus-amblyrh...tif
  • This is a blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) slicing through shallow water in pursuit of sardines, some of which can be seen jumping into the air to avoid being caught. This occurred in the early morning, usually commencing just before sunrise, when large schools of the baitfish gathered in shallow water. Several species worked together to herd and catch the fish. In the water, trevallies and blacktip reef sharks herded the fish, forcing them into concentrated groups. From the air, brown boobies and terns hovered. The predators coordinated their attacks, usually with trevallies making high-speed runs through the groups of fish. This caused panic, sending the sardines in every direction. Blacktip reef sharks then charged in, chasing sardines into shallow water and sometimes onto shore, while boobies and terns picked off fish at the surface, separated from the other fish. This action was rapid, often resulting in sweeping waves of panicked fish washing down the length of the shoreline. Here, the sun has just come up over the horizon. The action usually slowed down and stopped within 20-30 minutes after sunrise.
    blacktip-reef-shark-hunting-sardines...tif
  • This is a blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) beaching itself to catch sardines. This occurred in the early morning, just before sunrise, when large schools of the baitfish gathered in shallow water. Several species worked together to herd and catch the fish. In the water, trevallies and blacktip reef sharks herded the fish, forcing them into concentrated groups. From the air, brown boobies and terns hovered. The predators coordinated their attacks, usually with trevallies making high-speed runs through the groups of fish. This caused panic, sending the sardines in every direction. Blacktip reef sharks then charged in and beached themselves, chasing baitfish onto shore, while boobies and terns picked off fish at the surface, separated from the other fish. This action was rapid, often resulting in sweeping waves of panicked fish washing down the length of the shoreline. Once the sun came up, the action slowed down and usually stopped within 20-30 minutes after sunrise.
    blacktip-reef-shark-hunting-sardines...tif
  • Thousands of spawning Lutjanus bohar snapper attract a number of predators, such as this blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) swimming through at rapid speed. Clouds of sperm and eggs and low light in the early morning result in low visibility, making ambush easy.
    carcharhinus-limbatus-blacktip-shark...tif
  • Zebra shark lying on sandy bottom at a reef located in Wolverine Passage, part of the Barrier Reef of Papua New Guinea
    Zebra-shark-Stegostoma-fasciatum-Pap...tif
  • Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) with multiple wounds from cookiecutter shark bites (Isistius brasiliensis). Photographed in the Ogasawara (Bonin Islands), Japan.
    brydes-whale-cookiecutter-shark-bite...tif
  • Shark heads discarded by fishermen on the rocks of an island in the Sea of Cortez
    discarded-shark-heads-sea-of-cortez-...tif
  • Juvenile Japanese angel shark (Squatina japonica), measuring about 20cm in length
    japanese-angel-shark-juvenile-squati...tif
  • Breaching humpback whale calf with a scar clearly visible on its pectoral fin that most likely resulted from the bite of a cookie cutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis). There are also other slicing injuries visible  on the calf’s left pectoral fin.
    humpback-whale-calf-cookie-cutter-sh...tif
  • Male whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) biting the pectoral fin of a female shark during courtship. Unusually for sharks, these bamboo sharks seem to mate on a one-to-one basis. In other shark species, females are usually mobbed by multiple males. The male's two claspers are clearly visibly in this image, as are the male's siphon sacs, which are inflated with sea water for the purpose of washing the shark's semen into the female's cloaca during the actual act of mating. The siphon sacs depicted here seem to be inflated to a greater degree than seen in most other shark species. The entire courtship and mating process spanned at least eight hours. From the time that the male grasped the female's pectoral fin to the end of actual mating was approximately one hour.
    mating-whitespotted-bamboo-sharks-ch...tif
  • Female grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) with visible scarring from mating activity. During the mating season, many female sharks appear with scars like this, inflicted by amorous male sharks. Mating is a rough affair among sharks, ften with multiple males biting and holding on to female sharks. Photographed at Blue Corner dive site in Palau.
    grey-reef-shark-mating-scars-carchar...tif
  • To initiate the courtship process, the male whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) approaches the female and bites her to secure a grip. In order to mate, the male must keep up with the female as she struggles to break free of his grip. This involves thrashing and swimming over an extended period and area. To position himself properly for copulation, the male needs to bite the female's pectoral fin. If his initial bite is on another part of the female's body, the male must adjust his position to secure himself to the pectoral fin, as pictured here. In this image, the female and male have come to a brief rest after a prolonged swim of nearly an hour, with the female just about to take off again with suitor in tow. Copulation occurred within a couple of minutes of this photo being taken.
    whitespotted-bamboo-shark-courtship-...tif
  • This is a view of the blowholes of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) from the rear.. There are several wounds visible, the most prominent of which is on the nostril ridge of the whale’s left side, with several other injured areas visible on the dorsal surface of the right side. These circular areas of exposed flesh are the scars left by cookiecutter sharks (Isistius brasiliensis), which swim up from deep water at night to take bites from larger animals.
    humpback-whale-cookiecutter-shark-bi...tif
  • A squadron of grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) swimming in formation. A healthy population of sharks like this is a relatively rare sight these days, given intensive hunting of sharks for the shark fin trade.
    grey-reef-sharks-carcharhinus-amblyr...tif
  • Zebra swimming up from sandy bottom at a reef located in Wolverine Passage, part of the Barrier Reef of Papua New Guinea
    Zebra-shark-Stegostoma-fasciatum-Pap...tif
  • The final few minutes during copulation of whitespotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum). Biting the female's right pectoral fin, the male has aligned his body to use the clasper on the right side of his body to inseminate the female. Clearly visible is the nearly deflated siphon sac structure on the ventral surface of the male, which provides a visual indicator of progress. The male uses his siphon sacs, which he has filled with seawater while swimming with the female during the courtship leading up to copulation, to flush semen into the female. Shortly after this photo was taken, copulation ended. The female immediately swam off, while the male collapsed onto the reef and remained motionless for an extended time.
    mating-whitespotted-bamboo-sharks-ch...tif
  • Mating whitespotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum), with the male above, insertion of right clasper clearly visible. This photograph depicts the final stages of copulation, which spanned approximately five minutes. Consequently, the male's siphon sacs are almost entirely deflated, indicating that the bulk of sperm insertion has already taken place. Just over one hour elapsed between the time that the male was able to grasp the female's pectoral to the final act of copulation. The male pursued this female for at least seven hours prior to being able to bite the female's pectoral fin, with the entire sequence of events taking place in water that was between two and six meters deep.
    mating-whitespotted-bamboo-sharks-ch...tif
  • A Japanese angelshark (Squatina japonica) engaged in ambush predation, leaping out of the sand to grab a small silver-stripe round herring (Spratelloides gracilis). The shark’s extended jaws are clearly visible. The speed and force of the shark’s ambush sends not only sand into the water column, but also bottom-dwelling marine life, such as the multiple mid-water bristleworms seen here.
    japanese-angelshark-squatina-japonic...tif
  • A Japanese angelshark (Squatina japonica) engaged in ambush predation, leaping out of the sand to grab a small silver-stripe round herring (Spratelloides gracilis). The sand thrown up by the shark underscores the speed and force of the strike.
    japanese-angelshark-ambush-predation...tif
  • A Japanese angelshark (Squatina japonica) engaged in ambush predation, leaping out of the sand to grab a small silver-stripe round herring (Spratelloides gracilis). The cloud of sand thrown up by the shark underscores the speed and force of the strike.
    japanese-angelshark-squatina-japonic...tif
  • Twinspot snapper (Lutjanus bohar) engaged in a mass spawning aggregation early in the morning. This photograph was the winner of the Under Water category of the 52nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2016 (#WPY52) organized by the Natural History Museum in London.
    twinspot-snapper-spawning-aggregatio...tif
  • Spawning aggregation of Lutjanus bohar twinspot snapper coincidentally forming a nice heart shape, a visual metaphor for love in the ocean. Photographed in Palau.
    lutjanus-bohar-spawning-aggregation-...tif
  • The carcass of this 12.8m female Bryde’s whale was covered with bites from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that the whale spent substantial time in areas with deep water, where cookie cutter sharks reside.
    dead-brydes-whale-cookie-cutter-shar...tif
  • Three large sperm whale teeth, illustrating preparation for scrimshaw. The tooth on the left is raw and unpolished. The middle tooth has been polished, perhaps with shark skin or some similar textured substance. The tooth on the left is in the process of being engraved with scrimshaw.
    scrimshaw-teeth-sperm-whales-nantuck...tif
  • A swarm of the voracious Lutjanus bohar two-spot red snappers attacked and devoured a boxfish, the remains of which are shown here after they participated in an enormous spawning aggregation in the early morning involving thousands snappers. The attack on the boxfish was fast and furious, reminiscent of a shark feeding frenzy. I was unable to identify the species of the boxfish before it was consumed, but based on the yellow pattern, I am guessing that it was a yellow boxfish, Ostracion cubicus.
    lutanus-bohar-snapper-devouring-yell...tif
  • This is the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that was brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • This is the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that was brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) entangled by longline fishing gear. This whale was still able to swim, but was very weak. The fishing line had immobilized both pectoral fins, slicing through them as is visible here. The whale was infested with whale lice (Cyamus boopis), and there were a number of large sharks trailing it, including tiger sharks and bronze whalers. Another healthy whale was accompanying this whale, though it was clearly unable to assist. This whale most likely died soon after this sighting.
    longline-fishing-gear-entanglement-h...tif
  • Ron Leidich and Terry Ward paddling by kayak inside Black Tip Lake, a shallow, semi-enclosed bay that is a nursery for baby blacktip reef sharks and other juvenile fish. The sharks use sheltered areas like this one as safe havens to grow and hunt small fish while they mature.
    black-tip-lake-risong-bay-palau-ron-...tif
  • Pictured here are sardines (Clupeidae) fleeing from predators in the early morning. They were being herded and chased by trevallies and blacktip reef sharks in the water, and picked off by brown boobies and terns from the air. This coordinated hunting took place primarily before sunrise.
    sardines-fleeing-from-predators-tong...tif
  • Pictured here are sardines (Clupeidae) fleeing from predators in the early morning. They were being herded and chased by trevallies and blacktip reef sharks in the water, and picked off by brown boobies and terns from the air. This coordinated hunting took place primarily before sunrise.
    sardines-fleeing-predators-tonga-201...tif
  • Researchers preparing to retrieve the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • This is the pectoral fin of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of a ship. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact, as suggested by the broken pectoral fin shown here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    broken-pectoral-fin-dead-brydes-whal...tif
  • This is the pectoral fin of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of a ship. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact, as suggested by the broken pectoral fin shown here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    broken-pectoral-fin-dead-brydes-whal...tif
  • Pictured here are sardines (Clupeidae) fleeing from predators in the early morning. They were being herded and chased by trevallies and blacktip reef sharks in the water, and picked off by brown boobies and terns from the air. This coordinated hunting took place primarily before sunrise. Here, the sun was just peeking over the horizon.
    sardines-fleeing-from-predators-tong...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Kannoura fishing port in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. This is the area where I have documented white-spotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) mating in the wild.
    kannoura-fishing-port-kochi-prefectu...tif
  • This is the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that was brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • This is what it looks like inside a massive group of spawning Lutjanus bohar snappers. The water is milky blue from the simultaneous release of eggs and sperm by hundreds of fish in this group, which were part of an enormous gathering of thousands of fish. The visibility quickly dropped to nearly zero, with fish swimming in every direction. There were bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and blackfin sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) charging through the groups of spawning fish. Photographed in Palau.
    lutjanus-bohar-snapper-spawning-aggr...tif
  • Lesser frigatebird (Fregata aerial) patrolling the skies. There were terns picking up sardines that had been driven into shallow water and onto the beach by trevallies, blacktip reef sharks and other predators. Frigatebirds like this gathered overhead to swoop in, bully terns carrying fish, and steal their meals.
    lesser-frigatebird-fregata-aerial-20...tif
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