What paired organs do male sharks use to transfer sperm during mating? They use claspers. A male shark has a pair of claspers formed from the rear portions of his pelvic fins, and these organs help deliver sperm to the female during internal fertilization.
During mating, one clasper is typically inserted into the female’s cloaca or reproductive tract. A clasper has a groove or channel associated with a siphon sac: water helps carry semen through the structure and into the female. Some species also have spines or hooks that help the clasper remain in position.
Shark mating can be physically forceful. Males may bite females to hold them while mating, and females of some species have thicker skin that helps withstand these bites. After fertilization, species differ widely: some lay protected egg cases, while others retain developing embryos and give birth to live pups.
“Gonopodia” is a comparable reproductive structure in some bony fishes, especially livebearers, but it is not the standard term for shark organs. “Siphons” are components involved in the transfer process, not the name of the paired organs themselves.