Researchers who conducted a new study at Florida International University have discovered that great white sharks may be more social creatures than originally thought. .
Typically, these predators are known to travel solo, but lead author Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou and his team’s findings may prove otherwise, People reported.
“Most associations were short. But there were sharks where we found considerably longer associations, much more likely to be social associations. Seventy minutes is a long time to be swimming around with another white shark,” Papastamatiou said.
It was observed that great white sharks were living together off the coast Mexico.
Researchers found that the great white sharks that gather seasonally tend to stick together around Guadalupe Island when patrolling, According to an ArticleIn the March edition Biology Letters.
Researchers placed tags on each of the great white sharks that would give them information on the shark’s behavior and their time spent with other tagged sharks.
One of the findings was how individual each shark was. Some great whites like to be with others in the same sex group, while some prefer to do their thing.
Researchers found that a shark with a tag on it for just 30 hours was very social and interacted well with at least 12 other sharks. A shark with a tag for five days was less active than the one before it and only spent five minutes with two sharks.
Study also showed that sharks have different hunting strategies. Some were more active at night than during the day, while others preferred shallow waters over deeper waterways.
Papastamatiou is still learning about the social habits of great white predators.
“We still don’t know. But it is likely they may stay in proximity of other individuals in case those individuals are successful in killing large prey,” he said.
Papastamatious added: “They aren’t working together but being social could be a way to share information.”