The new study on clownfish, however, suggests individual fish are shrinking over mere weeks in response to a heat wave, which, in the case of the Papua New Guinea event, pushed temperatures in the bay about 7 degrees (4 degrees Celsius) above average.

Writing for The Conversation, Dr Theresa Rueger, Melissa Versteeg and Dr Chancey MacDonald discuss a new study they led which found that clownfish shrink in response to heat stress. As the world contemplates dealing with more extreme temperatures, one coral reef fish has found a novel way to beat the heat: shrinking.

Scientists studying clownfish discovered that the distinctive orange and white striped clownfish shrink during heatwaves. According to a new study, the orange-striped fish shrank their bodies during a marine heat wave off the coast of Papa New Guinea.