Fish similar to those from the cartoon "Finding Nemo" are shrinking due to ocean heat waves, a scientific study has shown.
Clownfish that live on coral reefs declined drastically when ocean temperatures soared in 2023, researchers have found.
This discovery is a big surprise, scientists say, adding that it could explain the significant reduction in the size of fish in the world's oceans.
There is growing evidence that animals, such as birds, lizards and insects, are adapting their bodies to cope with climate change.
"These fish can shrink and they do this to survive thermal stress events," said Teresa Ruger, a lecturer in tropical marine biology at Newcastle University.
Researchers studied pairs of clownfish living on reefs off Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea, a hotspot for marine biodiversity.
These clownfish in the wild are almost identical to those depicted in the movie "Finding Nemo," in which a timid fish living near the Great Barrier Reef goes in search of its son.
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The scientific study was conducted during the summer of 2023, when ocean temperatures rose sharply, causing large areas of coral to bleach.
Scientists measured how individual clownfish cope with heat.
They found that the tiny fish not only lost weight, but also shortened by several millimeters.
And it wasn't a one-off - 75 percent of fish shrank at least once during the heatwave.
"It's not just that they're dieting and losing a lot of weight, but they're actively changing their size and turning into smaller individuals that need less food and use oxygen more efficiently," says researcher Ruger.
It is possible that fish absorb fat and bone, which has been observed in other animals, such as marine iguanas, although this has yet to be confirmed in laboratory studies.
Ruger joked that the cartoon might need a little reworking, considering that a new chapter for 'Nema' is ahead of us.
"The film told a really good story, but the next chapter is definitely how Nemo copes with the constant changes in his environment," she told the BBC.
Global warming is also a major challenge for warm-blooded animals, which must maintain a constant body temperature to prevent overheating.
Animals respond in different ways: they move to colder areas or higher terrain, change the timing of key life events such as reproduction and migration, or change their body size.
The research was published in a scientific journal Science Advances.
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