Jimu News trainee reporter Sun Zhe
According to the British "Guardian" reported on September 7, scientists have found that as the earth becomes hotter and the temperature rises, warm-blooded animals are "deformed": in order to better regulate body temperature, their beaks, limbs and ears are getting larger and larger.
Recently, Sara Ryding, an ornithologist at Deakin University in Australia, described in detail the changes in the bodies of warm-blooded animals in response to climate change in a review published in the journal Ecology and Evolutionary Trends, and pointed out that "the 'deformation' of animals does not mean that they are responding to climate change, which only means that they are evolving to survive." ”
As the climate warms, the beak of the red-crowned cockatoo becomes larger and larger (Source: The Guardian)
Warm-blooded animals are those that can regulate their own body temperature, and they are also called thermostatic animals. Humans, birds, and the vast majority of mammals, including cats and dogs, are warm-blooded.
In general, warm-blooded animals need insulation measures to adapt to changes in temperature, bird feathers and mammalian fur can keep warm, and humans use down jackets, mattresses and sleeping bags to keep warm.
When animals feel very hot, birds use their beaks to dissipate heat, while mammals use their ears to dissipate heat. Historically, organisms did evolve larger beaks or ears due to warming climates, which made it easier for them to dissipate heat.
At present, with global warming, the "deformation" of animals is also more pronounced, especially birds. The size of the beaks of several parrots in Australia has increased by 4-10% since 1871, which is positively correlated with temperature changes every summer. In cold environments, the increased beak of the North American black-eyed corduroy finch is also associated with extreme temperatures over short periods of time. The researchers also found that not only the tail length of the wood rat increased, but also the length of the tail of the masked shrew, and even the size of the bat's wings increased under the warming climate.
The beak of the Muraga parrot is also getting bigger (Source: The Guardian)
Although the "deformation" of these animals is not large, Reading said that as the earth warms, animals may continue to "deform" in the future.
"So far, we've seen very little of this increase, less than 10 percent, so these changes may not have garnered immediate attention." Reading explains, "Obvious parts like ears are also expected to get larger, so in the near future we may see a real Dumbo." ”
At present, it is unclear what effect these changes will have on animals, for example, a larger beak may affect the way birds eat, which is a point that scientists will continue to focus on in future studies.
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