Warming waters have caused bull sharks to act differently
Humans in the area don’t need to be concerned.
As the climate warms, the experts are paying close attention to the impact that may have on aquatic life.
But one of the most aggressive predators in the sea seems to be thriving as temperatures inch upward.
Bull sharks already love warm, shallow coastal waters, but their numbers have increased fivefold in twenty years off the shores of Alabama.
A recent study out of Mississippi State University found the population increase coincided with a 1C rise in the mean sea surface temperature in Mobile Bay between 2001 and 2020.
Humans in the area don’t need to be concerned.
“These are babies,” says Lindsay Mullins, a PhD student at Mississippi State University and the paper's lead author.
“There have been no studies that indicate a correlation between shark density and increases in shark bites.”
Mullins says the findings are positive, and a healthy bull shark population usually reflects a healthy ecosystem.
