Scalloped hammerhead sharks stay warm as they descend into cold, deep water off the coast of Hawaii, suggesting the cold-blooded species may maintain its body temperature on dives by holding its breath, according to new research presented at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020 in San Diego, California. Royer thinks the scalloped hammerhead sharks may be simply shutting their mouths, or clamping their gills shut, on dives to keep out the water and avoid getting chilled. “The laws of thermodynamics hold,” Royer said. “We know the water is super cold and the sharks are staying warm. So the sharks can’t be dumping body heat out through their gills.”

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