• Question: Have you ever discovered any unknown animals or any facts about already known ones

    Asked by anon-287610 to Mark on 9 Mar 2021.
    • Photo: Mark Hamilton

      Mark Hamilton answered on 9 Mar 2021:


      I haven’t discoved any new species – that would be really exciting if I did one day, though!
      My work looks at how fish on reefs react to climate change, and if there will be enough for people to eat as well. I recently found out that on reefs that have lost a lot of coral, the algae that grows there (like fuzzy seaweed) feeds a lot of herbivore fish. Species like parrotfish are doing really well on these damaged reefs – some are growing big and fat (good for fishers!) and there are also lots of smaller, younger ones there too, which is a good sign for the future for these species. It’s also good for the people who like to catch and eat them.
      Before I did this work in the Seychelles, we thought that might be the case but weren’t sure. But now we know for sure!

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