Australia’s Shrinking Birds
Australian citizens might not be shrinking but its birds sure are. That’s the word from an Australian National University and CSIRO study which measured eight bird species found in Australia’s southeast and compared them to the size of museum specimens from a century ago. Their findings show that each bird species measured had shrunk between 2 and 4 percent in the last 100 years.
During this time Australia’s daily temperature has risen 1.3 degrees F (0.7 degrees C).
Based on this information, the study concluded that the birds are shrinking due to climate warming. According to lead researcher Janet Gardner, animals in warmer climates tend to be smaller, allowing them to cool faster and therefore minimizing heat stress.
Sounds likes shades of Darwin’s “survival of the fittest,” where evolutionary change occurs in order to survive.
But while shrinking birds (and other animals) is a trend that is expected to continue, not only in Australia, but throughout the world, the same doesn’t seem to be happening for humans.
Image: mugley
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