The El Niño underway in the Pacific Ocean is a natural climate phenomenon but its warming effects are being boosted by climate change. Researchers recently used corals growing around the Galapagos Islands to create a local temperature record of the ocean going back 1,000 years.

Also today: 

• Massive study redraws bat family tree and uncovers genetic oddities
• How the Surinam toad uses star-shaped fingertip lobes to ‘see’ its prey
• T. rex tooth enamel reveals these dinosaurs were warm-blooded
• Why great white sharks are converging on the East Coast

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For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.