The ocean is getting hotter. This hurts animals that live there. A team of scientists from Newcastle University in the UK found that clownfish, like the ones in Finding Nemo, are getting smaller.
They studied fish in the Kimberley region of Papua New Guinea. When the ocean got very hot in the summer of 2023, the fish got smaller. They lost weight and height. Up to 75% of the fish shrunk by several millimeters.
This isn’t just about the fish losing weight. Their bodies actually got smaller to use less energy and save oxygen. Dr. Teresa Rueger led the team. She says it’s not clear if the fish are losing fat or bone like some other animals. They need to study this more in a lab.
But one thing is clear: this isn’t normal behavior. It’s a warning sign of how global warming affects ocean animals. In 2023, a big heat wave hurt a lot of coral. Many clownfish had to deal with unusually high temperatures. This directly affected their bodies.
This discovery is important. It might explain why many fish species around the world have gotten smaller quickly in recent years. Warm-blooded animals face big challenges from global warming. They have to keep their body temperature steady. Other animals are adapting by moving, changing their breeding seasons, or even getting smaller.
This research was published in the Science Advances journal. It shows that global warming isn’t just affecting the land. It’s also changing the ocean in big ways.
Source: BBC
