SYDNEY, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Sharks nearly perfectly follow the long-hypothesized "two-thirds scaling law," a mathematical rule that predicts how surface area and volume change with body size in large animals, an Australian-led study has revealed.

The findings offer fresh insights into animal biology and could reshape how scientists model the impacts of climate change on species worldwide, according to a release from James Cook University in Australia's Brisbane on Wednesday.

Using advanced 3D imaging and digital modelling, researchers from James Cook University and the University of Massachusetts analyzed the body shapes of 54 shark species. Their digital reconstructions allowed precise measurement of surface area and volume, enabling a rigorous test of the scaling law, the release said.

The study showed that shark surface area scales with volume raised to the power of 0.64, just 3 percent off the theoretical 0.67, underscoring a fundamental biological blueprint shaped by evolution and development, regardless of species' diversity.

The ratio "underpins how animals breathe, regulate temperature, and process waste. And now, for the first time, we've shown it holds true in animals as complex and diverse as sharks," said Jodie Rummer, co-author and marine biology professor at James Cook University.

Published in Royal Society Open Science, the study emphasizes how these ratios improve predictions of species' responses to temperature and oxygen changes, critical for conservation and climate models.

These findings allow scientists to apply scaling equations with greater confidence to sharks and other large animals, demonstrating how modern imaging and digital modeling can resolve longstanding biological mysteries, according to Joel Gayford, PhD candidate at James Cook University and lead author of the study. ■