Science

Spiny dogfish blood contains a hormone long thought absent in sharks

Read full article at source ↗

Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 16/10/2026, 19:10:24 UTC.

Briefings

A new study of North Pacific spiny dogfish reveals they produce cortisol, contradicting long-held beliefs that sharks and rays rely on a different steroid hormone for energy regulation. This finding challenges the assumption that sharks are unique in producing cortisol, suggesting a shared evolutionary pathway for stress response in elasmobranchs.

Key points

• North Pacific spiny dogfish produce cortisol, a steroid hormone regulating energy use and stress response.
• This discovery overturns the established view that sharks and rays exclusively use a different steroid for these functions.

Context

Cortisol is a hormone that helps humans and many other animals regulate their energy use and respond to changing conditions. For a long time, sharks and rays were believed to rely on a different steroid hormone for these functions, without producing cortisol themselves. Now, a new study of North Pacific spiny dogfish, a species of small shark, challenges this view.

Limitations

The study is limited to North Pacific spiny dogfish and does not provide data on cortisol production in other shark species or rays. The evidence is untrusted data, and the study is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, so the findings remain preliminary and subject to further verification.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 16/10/2026, 19:38:24 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

View archived briefing on IPFS
bafybeicxkkz66p6f5zoo2c3imj2mgmnxd6qril4iofbu3bc5c5mxodanxm