I discovered ethology during my veterinary studies (1985–1989) at the National Veterinary School of Toulouse (ENVT), where I attended the lectures of Professor QUEINNEC, a specialist in dog behavior. It was only in 2005, after completing my doctorate at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), that I developed an expertise in shark behavior, with a first study published on the subject in 2010, based on the analysis of the effects of artificial provisioning of sicklefin lemon sharks (Negaprion acutidens) in Moorea.
The effects of feeding — real, but not as harmful as the hypotheses suggested — make this practice a scientific tool for studying shark behavior.
It was followed by many other studies on the same topic, including a contribution to the elasmobranch ethogram published in 2023. From 2010 onwards, I focused on understanding shark bites on humans.
In 2025, I joined the association “Vétérinaires Pour la Biodiversité” (VPB — Veterinarians For Biodiversity) to take on the scientific direction of its “Sharks & Rays Working Group” and to contribute my expertise to the “Bears/Wolves/Lynx/Livestock guardian dogs” groups, in order to improve the perception and management of interactions between humans and predators.
Partners & affiliations
Further reading
See also
Shark Profiler
Profiling biting sharks: forensic science, behavioral ecology and ethology.
Professional diver
Class 2 commercial diver, rebreathers, underwater videography across every ocean.
Cameraman & film director
Award-winning documentaries — Canal+, ARTE, France Télévisions.
Professional freediver
National freediving and spearfishing instructor, author of “La Chasse sous-marine moderne”.
Airplane & drone pilot
Private airplane pilot and professional drone pilot — aerial counts and remote sampling.
Biography
From globe-trotting veterinarian to etho-ecologist of large sharks: a life in the field.