Something New to Worry About

Terrifying sharks are mating to form stronger, more terrifying sharks.

Brace yourselves: The world’s first hybrid sharks have been discovered along Australia’s east coast. Part Australian blacktip, part common blacktip, the species was discovered when researchers found that the sharks had the appearance of one species and the genes of the other. The interbred sharks are believed to be extremely common, reflecting up to 20 per cent of the population in some areas. The research team studying the sharks believes the hybridization is an adaptation to climate change, and could bring the new, stronger “tropical” sharks as far south as Sydney. The finding is particularly shocking since sharks mate physically rather than through external fertilization.