Climate crisis to impact sharks’ teeth, threatening their ecological success.
A new study published Wednesday has found that ocean acidification, caused by rising carbon emissions, is damaging the highly specialized teeth of sharks. The research, led by biologist Maximilian Baum, examined how acidic seawater affects shark teeth, which are crucial for the apex predators’ survival and ecological success.
Carbon emissions are increasing the ocean’s acidity, with pH levels falling by 0.1 units since the industrial revolution. This process can damage calcified structures like coral reefs and shells, raising concerns about its impact on sharks. Baum and his colleagues collected naturally shed teeth from blacktip reef sharks and tested their response to acidic and neutral conditions over eight weeks.
The results showed that shark teeth exposed to more acidic water had visible surface damage, increased root corrosion, and structural degradation. This damage could lead to changes in how sharks find and digest food, potentially reducing feeding efficiency and increasing energy demands.
While the study has limitations, its findings suggest that ocean acidification may impact sharks more directly than previously thought. The researchers acknowledge that their experiment did not replicate the same conditions as a living shark’s mouth, but they aimed to provide a baseline understanding of the chemical effects on non-living tissue.
As apex predators, sharks play a vital role in maintaining marine ecosystems’ health. If ocean acidification weakens them, it could trigger cascading effects across ecosystems, making this study an important contribution to the scientific community’s understanding of the climate crisis’s impact on marine life.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/27/science/ocean-acidification-shark-teeth