Grey Bamboo Mating video

[griseum]

I finally caught them in the act !
Previously, I had only seen them after the lights went out or through the IP webcam. This was at around 4pm in the afternoon!
I was acclimating two fish in the other room, and walked out and saw the big white belly. The video is 5 minutes, it was taken over a span of about 25 minutes, but I paused the recording when there was just a stalemate.
The funniest part of it is the end of the video...

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[griseum]

Replied to PM.

[Zoodiver]

Nice!!

[Betta132]

Never understood why sharks bite that much. Doesn't look like it would encourage them to make more baby sharks if it involves that much biting.

[griseum]

The biting isn't the worst part of the behavior in my opinion. The wrestling that occurs once the male has gotten a good hold onto the pectoral fin is worse.
The male had the female on her back already when I walked over. She was really tired already at this point. Who knows how long it took to get her onto her back!?
It's brutal to watch the sharks I've raised from juveniles fight like they do.
As you see at the end of the video, she had remained relatively still on her back for the duration and then in one burst of energy she broke loose!
I had to separate her after that because she was gasping for air at the water surface and that particular male seemed to still be going after her.
As far as where he had bitten down on her pectoral fin, I don't believe he even broke the skin! There was faint scratches but no open cuts at all.

[Zoodiver]

It's amazing to see the 'natural' process unfold in a tank.
Benthic sharks like this don't do nearly the damage other large body fish eating sharks do to each other during breeding. Scars on sharks like sandtigers, bulls and whites look like they have been through a meat grinder after breeding season is over.
It's amazing how tonic immobility has become a key element in keeping the species going.

[griseum]

Hey Matt! - I am curious... In your experience have you actually seen tonic immobility in Bamboo sharks first hand? Better yet... in your hands?
I've had to handle all of the sharks at one point or another (in the past) whether to do an injection or to force feed... I can't recall any of them falling still on their backs?! Atleast not at all in the way that you see Atlantic Sharpnose, Bonnets, Nurses etc. go almost right into a trance.
I was pretty much at the assumption it did not occur much in Benthic species?

[Zoodiver]

Some resist it, but most of mine will go down when inverted. It takes them a little longer than some of the other sharks species. I'll see if I can find some pictures.