SYDNEY: Australian scientists hailed what they described as a world-first discovery of two shark species interbreeding yesterday, a never-before-seen phenomenon which could help them cope with warmer oceans.
Lead researcher Jess Morgan said the mating of the local Australian black-tip shark with its global counterpart, the
common black-tip, was an unprecedented discovery with implications for the entire shark world.
“It’s very surprising because no one’s ever seen shark hybrids before, this is not a common occurrence by any stretch of the imagination,” Morgan, from the University of Queensland, told AFP.
“This is evolution in action.”
The discovery was made during cataloguing work off Australia’s east coast when Morgan said genetic findings showed certain sharks to be one species when physically they looked to be another.
The Australian black-tip is slightly smaller than its common cousin and can only live in tropical waters, but its hybrid offspring have been found 2,000 kilometres down the coast, meaning it could be adapting
to ocean temperatures. — AFP