Inferring leader-follower dynamics in three shark species using acoustic telemetry data

Our methodology reveals leader-follower behaviours in blacktip reef sharks and grey reef sharks and corroborates findings from the literature which have previously either been described using visual observation or using a different analytical approach. We demonstrate how existing acoustic telemetry datasets are a valuable source which can be used to detect social interactions associated with leader-follower behaviours in sharks, especially when visual observations are not feasible. Our approach provides new insights into understanding the social dynamics in sharks and offers a way to be applied to many more species already acoustically tagged.