New Study Reveals Grey Reef Sharks Form Long-Lasting 'Friendships'

Sharks who form long-lasting friendships with one another? That's actually really cute.

According to a team of scientists, in Florida, they have recently discovered that grey reef sharks form long-lasting relationships with one another. Yannis Papastamatiou, a member of the team studying this phenomenon, said "We don't think of sharks as social animals, but they do have social groups."

The grey reef sharks are large-eyed sharks who roam the Pacific and Indian ocean. They are known to be aggressive nocturnal predators but it turns out they have a soft side when it comes to other grey reef sharks.

Story via The Independent

Posted by AmyBrown

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The scientists found that the social group between the grey reef sharks are very stable, showing the same sharks remaining in the clique for years.

Via Kydd Pollock
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While there is no fool-proof that sharks have any emotional bond towards one another, Papastamatiou, was reluctant to call the sharks friends. Instead, he and his other colleagues refer to them as "associates."

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Regardless if these sharks can have emotional bonds, or can idenify one another, one thing is certain. The grey reef shark is one interesting fish that displays a high volume of unusual behavior in the shark world.

Via David Clode