Climate change could make octopuses go blind.
Octopuses are going blind due to climate change
A new study has found that the eight-limbed sea creatures are at risk of impaired eyesight should ocean temperatures continue to increase at their current rate.
Experts say that loss of sight would have major implications for octopuses as they heavily dependent on their vision for survival. Around 70 per cent of the octopus brain is dedicated to sight and it plays a vital role in both communication and detecting predators and prey.
A team of researchers exposed unborn octopuses to three different temperatures - a control of 19C and 22C to mimic the present climate and 25C to match the projected summer temperatures in 2100.
The creatures exposed to the warmest temperatures were discovered to produce significantly fewer proteins responsible for vision.
Bronwyn Gillanders, head of biological sciences at the University of Adelaide and co-author of the research, said: "It's only a change of three or so degrees and you're starting to see the impairment of organisms."