Portland, Maine: The warming of worldwide oceans from climate change means baby sharks are at risk of being born smaller and without the energy they need to survive, a group of scientists has found. The scientists, who conducted the work in connection with the New England Aquarium, studied epaulette sharks, which live off Australia and New Guinea. They found that warmer conditions sped up the sharks’ growing process, and that meant they hatched from eggs earlier and were born exhausted.
The study has implications for other sharks, including those that give birth to live young, said John Mandelman, vice president and chief scientist of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. The scientists published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports earlier this year.
There’s this perception they are very hardy. What it means is this very resilient species is more vulnerable than we thought, and this could be true of other sharks, Mandelman said. We…