Researchers say some of the goats that currently populate the Alps weigh 25% less than their forefathers

Oct 22, 2014 18:03 GMT  ·  By

In a recent paper in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, researchers with the UK's Durham University argue that, according to their measurements, some of the goats currently populating the Alps are considerably smaller than they should be.

Specifically, it appears that representatives of a species of mountain goat known to the scientific community as the Alpine Chamois now weigh about 25% less than their forefathers did just 30 years ago.

What this means is that these Alpine goats are shrinking at a rapid pace. As detailed in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, it's climate change that needs be blamed for this phenomenon.

According to the researchers behind this study, goats belonging to this species spend most of their time sleeping when the weather is warm. This means that, the higher local temperatures are, the less time these animals spend searching for food.

“We know that Chamois cope with hot periods by resting more and spending less time searching for food, and this may be restricting their size,” Dr. Philip Stephens said in a statement, as cited by Phys Org.

The researcher and his colleagues fear that, should this trend continue, Alpine Chamois will eventually become too small to be able to survive in this part of the world. Simply put, this species could go extinct in the not too distant future.

As Dr. Tom Mason put it, “Changes in body size could act as early-warning systems for worse impacts to come, such as the collapses of populations.”

Mind you, this study is not the first to link climate change and global warming with one species' tendency to shrink. On the contrary, the same phenomenon has until now been documented in several species of fish, birds and even mammals.