I like to think of myself as the inquisitive type, but even I wasn't curious enough to wonder how whale sharks get it on. But some scientists did and now we've got video of what they do beforehand.

I hadn't noticed until now, but the courtship rituals of whale sharks have remained one of the intriguing enigmas in the realm of sharks. I'm not entirely sure why this is the case. I assumed they would engage in similar behaviors as other shark species, just on a larger scale.

Fortunately, we've got scientists who wanted to know the answer, and they weren't willing to wait for a Shark Week documentary fore the details, they had to do the dirty work.

According to Phys.org, some scientists have been hanging around Ningaloo Reef off the coast of Australia which, from the sounds of it, is like the Whale Shark world's Studio 54. All the breakthroughs in the steaming hot world of whale shark sex are coming out of Ningaloo Reef.

During a recent expedition, researchers observed what they thought was a male whale shark attempting to impress a female. However, rather than allowing him some privacy to charm her, they began filming the scene, with one eager scientist swimming right alongside him, inadvertently interrupting his efforts.

It's difficult to discern the situation clearly, but researchers have provided a concise summary for our understanding.

"The male shark was seen opening its mouth and lunging toward the female's caudal fin. It accelerated its swimming and lunged once more at her tail, managing to make contact and briefly biting it," the researchers noted. "In response, the female quickly pivoted, with her pectoral fins angled downwards to confront the male."

Wow... Whale sharks are truly fascinating creatures!

"Following a short halt in their progression, the female swiftly pivoted once more, resulting in contact between the male's snout and her caudal fin. Subsequently, the female plunged quickly to a greater depth, with the male in tow. At this juncture, the researchers were unable to observe the sharks from the surface."

Check it out. Deal done. That guy likely whisked her away to his whale shark-themed place and cranked up some Barry White tunes. 

In about nine months, or however long it takes for whale sharks to gestate, a new little whale shark will make its debut — likely measuring around the size of a Buick — and eventually, it will be gliding through Ningaloo Reef in search of a partner.