Better understanding of the sexual attraction between the male and female stingray could possibly be tapped to help prevent shark attacks on people, a University of Western Australia study said.

The study was made by shark biologist and PhD candidate at the university's Oceans Institute Ryan Kempster who found out that stingrays use electroperception to identify their potential mates.

He explained that the female blue spotted stingray has more electrosensory nerve inputs that enter their brain compared to the male stingray. This allows the female to identify suitable mates and at the same time distinguish potential mates from predators like sharks.

"Female stingrays may make a calculated decision about whether they should stay and wait for an approaching mate or make an escape before they're spotted by a would-be predator," Mr Kempster said.

He said that more knowledge about the electrosensory system, both between species and different genders of the same species, could help ensure that electronic shark mitigation devices work effectively for as many other species as possible, humans included.

One such gadget is the Protective Oceanic Device invented by Norman Starky of South Africa, which emits an electromagnetic field around a person while underwater as a protection against shark attacks. The device is marketed under the name SharkPOD.

It was first tested by Aussie shark expert Ron Taylor and wife Valerie in 1992 in Australia and South Africa and yielded positive results. It works by irritating the special sensing organ called ampullae of Lorenzini of a shark.

The study appeared in the Brain, Behaviour and Evolution journal.

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