HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Megafauna
'Sharktober': Tiger shark parturition drives seasonality in shark bite incidents in Hawaiian waters
Provisionally accepted
- University of Hawaii, Honolulu, United States
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Shark bite incidents in Hawaiian waters exhibit a significant seasonal pattern, with October experiencing a disproportionate spike in bites despite no corresponding increase in ocean recreational activity. Analysis of 30 years of bite records (1995–2024) reveals that 20% of all incidents occurred in October, a frequency 2 to 4 times higher than in any other month. Statistical modeling confirms October's significantly elevated bite probability and count. Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are the primary driver of this pattern, accounting for at least 63% of October bites. This seasonal trend aligns with peak tiger shark sightings at ecotourism sites and the partial migration of mature females from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, suggesting a potential link to reproductive cycles. Parturition during September–October may increase encounters via two mechanisms: (1) a temporary rise in nearshore adult female abundance and (2) heightened foraging by postpartum individuals recovering from energy depletion. These findings provide ecological insight into seasonal shark bite risk and highlight potential biological drivers warranting further investigation.
Keywords: Shark bite seasonality, shark-human interactions, Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), parturition and foraging behavior, Shark bite risk factors
Received: 05 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Meyer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carl Meyer
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