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Mice with bigger ears? Climate change is causing animals to 'shapeshift,' new study shows
[USAToday] Some animals are "shapeshifting" parts of their bodies, and it may be due to climate change, according to a new study.The evidence of warm-blooded animals experiencing changes to appendages such as beaks, legs and ears was found by a team of researchers led by Sara Ryding of Deakin University in Australia and was published Tuesday in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution. To measure the changes, researchers used what is known as Allen's Rule, which states that animals in colder climates have shorter limbs and appendages than those in warmer climates. kinda explains my tiny doinker The biggest evidence of change occurred in birds from Australia and North America. Australian parrots have shown an average increase of 4%–10% in bill surface area since 1871 as temperatures have risen. In North America, dark-eyed junco saw similar increases in bill size. Other changes showed wood mice having bigger ears and bats with larger wings. Posted by: Besoeker 2021-09-10 |
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