The Kid Should See This

Below a scalloped hammerhead shark swarm at Darwin’s Arch

Watch more with these video collections:

In this stunning clip from Mission Galapagos, biologist and BBC science presenter Liz Bonnin goes scuba diving with scientists who are studying the complex mating rituals of scalloped hammerhead sharks at Darwin’s Arch in the Galápagos Islands.

As they observe from the ocean floor, a school of around 600 scalloped hammerhead sharks appears. From Bonnin:

“The hammerheads come from all different directions and gather, swim around each other in big circles in a wonderful sort of balletic association. At the very centre of this big mass of hammerheads are the oldest, most mature females. The younger sharks swim around them. When the males come in to mate, they’ve got to weave and wind their way through this mass of hammerheads, so only the strongest, fittest males will get to mate with the females in the centre. “

hammerhead sharks

“We are only just beginning to understand the purpose of this mass congregation, so the more scientists dive down there, the more they’re understanding its importance. It’s a very special place, and a very important behaviour, that needs to be protected. The Galapagos is one of the last jewels of this blue planet of ours… It was extraordinary.”

scalloped hammerhead sharks from below
Hammerheads can be found around the globe. Based on regional populations, they’re listed as both threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Watch more videos about sharks next:
• Thousands Of Sharks Visit A Seamount
Shark Traffic Jam: Collecting shark data in Biscayne Bay
• Tour the Galápagos Islands’ new marine sanctuary
• A Hammerhead Shark Swarm off the coast of Mozambique
Malpelo: An Expedition, an underwater tour of an ecological wonder

🌈 Watch these videos next...

Why does this scientist shoot lasers at trees?

Rion Nakaya

Why do autumn leaves cause train delays? – Liz Bonnin

Rion Nakaya

Why did Megalodon go extinct?

Rion Nakaya

What is Botany? Alexis Nikole Nelson explains with Crash Course Botany

Rion Nakaya

What is an Animal? Rae Wynn-Grant explains with Crash Course Zoology

Rion Nakaya

What does a herpetologist do with a lizard once she’s caught it?

Rion Nakaya

Thresher Shark’s Deadly Tail

Rion Nakaya

Thousands Of Sharks Visit A Seamount

Rion Nakaya

The Soccket, an energy-generating soccer ball that turns into a lamp

Rion Nakaya

Get smart curated videos delivered to your inbox.