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During a significant warming event 93 million years ago, some sharks developed elongated pectoral fins to adapt to hotter ocean temperatures, a change documented in a recent study. These adaptations helped them transition from bottom dwellers to efficient open-water predators, a response that modern sharks may struggle to emulate given today’s rapid climate change.
Sharks that live in different parts of the ocean, and their respective pectoral fins. Credit: Phillip Sternes/UCRLonger pectoral fins help make shark movements much more efficient. “Their fins are comparable to the wings of commercial airplanes, long and narrow, to minimize the amount of energy needed for movement,” Sternes said.
Only about 13% of modern sharks are fast-swimming open-water predators. The researchers believe that breathing may have become difficult for their ancient relatives. Oxygen levels near the bottom during theModern sea surface temperatures average about 68 degrees. In the Cretaceous they were much warmer, reaching an average of about 83 degrees. The high heat of the Cretaceous did not happen overnight, and neither did the sharks’ evolution.
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