Very little is known about these sharks in terms of their social behavior and thus little is known about their mating systems. There are a few theories, however, attempting to explain how H. griseus mates. Researchers believe that the morphology of the teeth of H. griseus play an important role in mating. The male has a more erect primary cusp than do the females. The male is believed to nip the female's gills with this cusp in order to catch her attention and entice her into mating. Evidence supporting this idea of courtship is evident by the seasonal scars that appear on females every year presumably from being nipped by males. Bluntnose sixgill sharks are believed to be primarily solitary animals and there is no information indicating whether they prefer one or many mates.
There is not much information pertaining to the reproductive behavior of Hexanchus griseus; however, there is some hypothetical information available. These sharks are believed to meet seasonally, moving to shallower depths in the May to November months. Scientists are unsure of the bluntnose sixgill shark's gestation period, but it is thought to be longer than 2 years. The means of reproduction for these sharks is ovoviviparity, meaning they carry their eggs internally until they hatch. Babies develop within the mother without a placenta to provide nourishment, and they are born at a fairly mature size (generally 70 cm at birth). Each litter can number from about 22 to 108 pups and this incredibly large litter size for H. griseus could suggest that mortality rates for the pups are very high. Little is known about their maturation because until recently determining their age was difficult as a result of their poorly calcified vertebrae. The pups of H. griseus, however, are speculated to mature around 11 to 14 years for males and 18 to 35 years for females. Little else is known about its reproductive system.
Breeding season: May - November.
Range number of offspring: 22 to 108.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 18 to 35 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 11 to 14 years.
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); ovoviviparous
There is no information available pertaining to parental care for Hexanchus griseus. However, as with other sharks, it can be assumed that no parental care is given to the young, which can number up to 108.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)