{"id":228116,"date":"2026-01-15T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T19:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=228116"},"modified":"2026-01-16T07:46:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:46:07","slug":"maui-mating-tiger-sharks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/01\/15\/maui-mating-tiger-sharks\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiger sharks gather to mate during Maui\u2019s whale season"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Wernli with a tiger shark. (Photo credit: Cory Fults)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A team of shark researchers from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa has solved a long-standing mystery, identifying the first-ever documented mating hub for tiger sharks. The new study<\/a>, led by the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Marine Biology<\/a> (HIMB<\/abbr>) Shark Lab, utilized six years of acoustic tracking data to pinpoint Olowalu, Maui and the nature of tiger shark mating.<\/p>\n

This challenges the conventional understanding of tiger sharks as purely solitary animals, revealing a predictable seasonal convergence of mature males and females that coincides with the humpback whale calving season in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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(Photo credit: Cory Fults)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Solving the mating mystery<\/h2>\n

For years, it was unclear how tiger sharks, which are typically solitary wanderers, came together to reproduce, or if mating was simply a result of random encounters.<\/p>\n

“Tiger sharks typically roam widely in what can seem like random patterns, so finding such a strong and consistent seasonal trend in their movements around Maui was unexpected,” said Paige Wernli, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the HIMB<\/abbr> Shark Lab.<\/p>\n

The long-term tracking data revealed a strong, predictable seasonal presence and high overlap of both mature male and female sharks at Olowalu, with both sexes exhibiting physical signs of mating activity.<\/p>\n

“To our knowledge, no group mating site for tiger sharks has ever been identified. This paper adds an important piece to the puzzle of tiger shark reproduction,” said Carl Meyer, co-author of the paper and principal investigator of the HIMB<\/abbr> Shark Lab.<\/p>\n

Dual motivations<\/h2>\n

The timing of the sharks\u2019 convergence also aligns with the arrival of humpback whale mothers and newborn calves in the area. This unique ecological overlap indicates that the sharks may be positioning themselves to take advantage of foraging opportunities, such as vulnerable calves or placental falls.<\/p>\n

“Mating and foraging on humpback whales may not be mutually exclusive,” said Wernli, “and both could influence tiger shark movement patterns in Hawai\u02bbi.”<\/p>\n

The researchers noted that these gatherings are not dense but rather diffuse, spanning multiple months and several kilometers.<\/p>\n

For more see HIMB<\/abbr>\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> researchers identified the first-ever documented mating hub for tiger sharks in Olowalu, Maui.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":228115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[53,1363,175,158,92,9],"class_list":["post-228116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-hawaii-institute-of-marine-biology","tag-manoa-research","tag-marine-biology","tag-publication","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t