Climate Change is Shrinking Animals! Here’s What They Might Look Like in the Near Future

If you thought that crazy weather was the only bizarre side-effect of climate change, you might want to recalibrate your preconceived notions. It seems like everyday we are seeing some new and barely explainable impact that our rapidly changing biosphere is having on the world we live in. Sadly, more often than not, the world’s wildlife is being disproportionally impacted by these changes – and certainly not for the better.

Many species have adapted over millions of years to be the evolutionary wonders they are today. However, these adaptations don’t always make for the most versatile of species. When animals have evolved to thrive in specific climates and weather conditions, a massive change in these natural patterns can have devastating effects. Take the coral reef for example: as the ocean absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere, the ocean because more acidic. The bad news for coral is that their skeletons are made from calcium carbonate which breaks down in a highly acidic environment. Corals have not adapted to live in highly acidic waters so Climate change poses a serious threat to their future existence.

This is only one example of how climate change impacts the many species of the planet, but one that has got us particularly concerned is the fact that Climate change is causing animals to shrink! Studies show that in a warmer climate, some animals will adapt to develop less body fat. That coupled with the threat of food scarcity, many species are predicted to be notably smaller in the future.

Pretty crazy, right? Well, to give you an idea of what our future with tiny wildlife could look like – check out these animals who have become the climate’s Shrinky Dinks.

1. Mountain Goats

A recent study published in the journal, Frontiers in Zoology, found that the Alpine chamois goat today weighs around 25 pounds less than their fore bearers did in 1980! While the lower body mass will help the goats to withstand the hot summer temperatures, it also means they will be less able to fare throughout the harsh winters.

Boomsbeat

2. Salamanders

In between 1950 and 2012, six different species of salamanders have gotten smaller. A study found that in 1980, salamanders were about eight percent smaller on average – every generation since they have shrunk by an additional one percent!

ntlworld.com

3. Fish

Not only are we concerned about the number of fish in the ocean shrinking due to overfishing and bycatch, but now we’re being told that fish are estimated to shrink in size by 14-24 percent by 2050 – yikes!

Wikimedia Commons

4. Red Deer

A study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences, discovered that red deer born during a warmer winter were significantly smaller than deer born in colder winters.

Wikimedia Commons

5. Tortoises

Cold-blooded animals, like the tortoise are really feeling the effects of warmer temperatures. These species rely on heat for their metabolism, meaning in warmer conditions their metabolic rate is faster. That means less fat and smaller bodies for the world’s cold-blooded species!

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