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Climate change is making baby sharks smaller, undernourished and exhausted
By Amy Woodyatt, CNN
Epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) (CNN)Baby sharks are being born smaller, undernourished and exhausted as climate change warms the world s oceans, researchers say.
Researchers examined the effects of warming temperatures on the growth, development and physiology of the Great Barrier Reef s epaulette sharks, testing embryos and hatchlings in waters up to 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
The research team found that in warmer waters, shark embryos grew faster and used their yolk sac their only source of food in this developmental stage quicker.
The creatures hatched earlier, were born smaller, and needed to feed straight away, but lacked energy, researchers from Australia s ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University and the University of Massachusetts said Tuesday.