England: Clownfish, famously known from the film Finding Nemo, are shrinking in size to survive rising ocean temperatures. A new study on clownfish shrinks due to ocean heat reveals that these vibrant reef dwellers are physically adapting to extreme marine heat, raising fresh concerns about climate change’s impact on ocean life.
Wild clownfish are slimming down to cope with intense marine heatwaves, scientists have found. The study, published in ‘Science Advances’, shows that clownfish living on coral reefs experienced significant size reduction during the record-breaking ocean heat of 2023.
Researchers from Newcastle University discovered that 75 percent of clownfish studied off Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, became smaller during the heatwave. Studies found that clown fish didn’t just lose weight, they actually got shorter by several millimetres.
“Nemos can shrink, and they do it to survive these heat stress events,” said Dr Theresa Rueger, senior lecturer in Tropical Marine Sciences at Newcastle University.
Dr Rueger added that, “It’s not just them going on a diet and losing lots of weight, but they’re actively changing their size and making themselves into a smaller individual that needs less food and is more efficient with oxygen.”
The summer of 2023 saw ocean temperatures soar, turning vast areas of coral white. Scientists monitored clownfish closely, measuring individual specimens before, during, and after the heatwave. They observed that size reduction was a clear survival tactic.
This groundbreaking discovery of clownfish shrinking due to ocean heat could help explain similar size reductions in other marine species. Experts say animals, birds, insects, and lizards are undergoing physical changes to adapt to climate stress.
The phenomenon highlights the silent toll global warming takes on ocean life. As temperatures continue to climb, researchers fear more dramatic changes in marine ecosystems could follow. The clownfish shrinks due to ocean heat, shed light on how even the smallest sea creatures are being reshaped by climate change.
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