Climate change is affecting sea turtles in an unusual way: sex. The sex of hatchlings, that is.

According to a study by Florida State University, rising global temperatures are causing a gender imbalance. Scientists researched Brazilian loggerhead turtles and found that the warmer temperatures cause higher incubating temperatures, which leads to more female hatchlings.

Optimal hatching temperatures are between 75.2 to 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit, but temperatures below 85.1 degrees results in more male turtles and temperatures above yield more females.

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region / CC BY 2.0

Assistant Professor of Oceanography at Florida State University Mariana Fuentes said:

“We’re concerned we’re going to have a feminization of marine turtles. This study came from the need to understand the current sex ratio being produced at loggerhead nesting grounds to establish baseline parameters as climate change progresses and to identify beaches that produce a higher proportion…