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Climate change causing animals to shrink
Animals from polar bears to Scottish sheep are shrinking because of climate change, scientists have warned. Warmer temperatures have forced some species to adapt by shedding body fat, while others are struggling for food, according to researchers, who predict that over the next few decades, certain mammals, fish, birds and plants will get even smaller, evolving into miniature versions of the ones we know today.
This, warned scientists, could have an adverse impact on humans who rely on animals for protein. It may also play havoc with the food chain and make some creatures extinct. The study finds that the shrinking animals include Soay sheep, found in the Scottish highlands, which have decreased in size by five percent between 1985 and 2007 because of warmer winters.
Dr David Bickford, of the National University of Singapore, reviewed studies which showed deer, tortoises, gulls and polar bears have already shrunk over the past 50 years. "Reduction in nutrients, food availability and water will probably have negative implications and are inter-related with climate change and shrinking organisms," he said, adding that "[b]eing able to predict change is critical in creating strategies that reduce negative effects."
Read the full article on www.iol.co.za.
Read the full article on www.dailymail.co.uk.
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