Why Are Some Fish Warm-Blooded? Predatory Sharks Gain Speed Advantage, Study Finds
Published:05 Jul.2021 Source:Trinity College Dublin
New research from marine biologists offers answers to a fundamental puzzle that had until now remained unsolved: why are some fish warm-blooded when most are not? It turns out that while (warm-blooded) fish able to regulate their own body temperatures can swim faster, they do not live in waters spanning a broader range of temperatures.
The research therefore provides some of the first direct evidence as to the evolutionary advantage of being warm-blooded as well as underlining that species in this demographic -- such as the infamous white shark and the speedy bluefin tuna -- are likely just as vulnerable to changing global ocean temperatures as their cold-blooded relatives.