Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Hybrid Sharks Discovered off Australia

Mix of black-tip sharks is species first hybrid

Black tip reef shark

Scientists from the University of Queensland on Tuesday announced that they had discovered the world's first hybrid species of sharks off Australia's eastern coast. The sharks are a mix of Australian black-tip sharks and common black-tips, which are able to survive in much colder waters than their Australian cousins. Scientists believe the hybrids may have evolved to cope with rapidly changing water temperatures. "It's very surprising because no one's ever seen shark hybrids before," said University of Queensland researcher Jess Morgan. "This is evolution in action."

Read more at Discovery News

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