Family ties shape social lives of bull sharks
New research published in Ecology and Evolution reveals that bull sharks exhibit a preference for socializing with their relatives, a behavior researchers have termed 'kinfluence.' While sex, age, and size remain primary drivers of social structure, this study is the first to identify kinship as a factor in adult shark social networks.
Why it matters
This discovery challenges the perception of large sharks as purely solitary predators and provides new insights into the complex social behaviors of marine apex predators.
edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Alexander Pol
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Add as preferred source Bull sharks at Shark Reef Marine Reserve. Credit: Natasha D. Marosi Bull sharks have a slight preference for spending time with their relatives, new research shows.
The paper, titled "Is Blood Thicker Than Water? The Influence of Kin Within a Bull Shark Social Network," is published in the journal Ecology and Evolution .
Scientists used genetic data and six years of observations at Shark Reef Marine Reserve in Fiji, where adult bull sharks regularly gather.
The results show most of the sharks are not closely related—but individuals are slightly more likely to associate and socialize with relatives than with unrelated sharks.
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