Shark Data Suggests Animals Scale Like Geometric Objects | Quanta Magazine

Shark Data Suggests Animals Scale Like Geometric Objects

Despite their wide variety of sizes, niches and shapes, sharks scale geometrically, pointing to possible fundamental constraints on evolution.

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For centuries, biologists have wondered if life forms follow the two-thirds scaling law, even though they come in a stunning variety of shapes and sizes.

Researchers used CT scans and digital tools to calculate the surface areas and volumes of an ancient and diverse animal lineage: sharks.

If the object’s geometry and shape remain the same as it gets bigger, then its surface area will increase roughly as fast as its volume to the two-thirds power.

Author's summary: Sharks scale geometrically like objects.

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Quanta Magazine Quanta Magazine — 2025-10-27

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