Sharks Like to Be Cuddled, Say Scientists

Researchers in the U.S. have found that sharks, like girlfriends, enjoy a good cuddle every now and then.

Experiments showed that some varieties of these adorable little killing machines allowed themselves to be plucked from the water to have their tummies petted. Tiger sharks, the "kittens of the sea," were especially receptive to cuddling.

Leading aquariums will now implement the same techniques used to train dolphins to teach hundreds of sharks how to accept food from their handlers. "A shark answers its own sound and color signal by putting its nose on a target-stick held by the trainer and keeping it there until it receives food," said the Sea Life Center's Carey Duckhouse.

The implications for improving the future welfare of captive sharks are promising, but for now "Shark Week" on Discovery just got a hell of a lot cuter.