A team of scientists, conservationists and vets will soon set out to achieve a world first in conservation by collecting semen from sharks in the wild.

From 7 to 14 December, around 15 experts will attempt to collect semen from Indo-Pacific leopard shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) males gathering off North Stradbroke Island near Brisbane, Australia. They hope to use the semen for artificial inseminations of female leopard sharks in aquariums across Australia and in Singapore.