The oceans are warming and coral reefs are dying, yet octopuses, squids and cuttlefish appear to be thriving and population gradually increasing over the past 60 years, according to the researchers Monday.
The findings reported in the journal
Current Biology was based on a global database of cephalopod catch rates
devised by researchers at the University of Adelaide.
According to the lead author Zoe
Doubleday, their analyses showed that cephalopod abundance has increased since
the 1950s and was consistent across the three distinct groups.
She also added that cephalopods may be
benefiting from the environmental changes due to their “unique set of
biological traits, such as rapid growth, short lifespan and flexible
development.”
The study did not say how many more
such creatures there are today than in the 1950s yet it was said that the rise
in abundance was clear across the globe, based on samples from all the world’s
oceans.
Previous studies also pointed out that
warming temperatures may be an advantage to cephalopods since some predators
decline this condition. But researchers said more work is needed to uncover the
factors to play, and the future implications.
According to Doubleday, the project
started as an investigation into declining numbers of the iconic Giant
Australian cuttlefish.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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