Warmer waters will spur baby sharks to hatch from their eggs sooner and weaker in the decades to come, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports. Scientists subjected the eggs of epaulette sharks, a species unique to the Great Barrier Reef, to temperatures expected at the end of this century. The sharks emerged from their cases after 100 days, short of the typical 125 days, and were less efficient hunters. “The hotter the conditions, the faster everything happened, which could be a problem for the sharks,” Carolyn Wheeler, a PhD candidate at James Cook University and lead author of the study, told the Guardian. (The Guardian)
