Ragged tooth sharks, often overshadowed by great whites and tiger sharks, are formidable predators. Growing over 3 meters long and weighing 300 kilograms, they dominate the ocean’s food chain. Unlike other sharks, they remain secretive, lurking just above the sea floor.
Each year, they embark on an epic migration from South Africa’s coast to Mozambique’s warmer waters for breeding. Along the way, they follow shoals of yellowtail and sardines, feasting to prepare for the season. Though they appear slow, they strike with deceptive speed, snapping prey sideways and swallowing them whole.
Midway, they reach Aliwal Shoal, a reef with strong currents and deep caves, ideal for resting. Blacktip and tiger sharks hunt above while ragged tooth sharks patrol below. Most females bear scars from violent mating rituals, now captured on camera for the first time. Males bite their partners to force them into position, leaving deep wounds.
Inside the womb, survival begins early—shark embryos develop teeth at 10 cm and cannibalize weaker siblings, ensuring only one pup per uterus survives. As birth nears, pregnant females move to the calm waters of Sodwana Bay, where they give birth to fully independent one-meter-long pups that immediately start hunting—just as they did in the womb.