Shrinking Sheep?

Yet another thing that has been blamed on 'global warming'! Scientists have concluded that a recorded decline in the average weights of the rare 'wild' Soay sheep on the island of Hirta in the St Kilda archipelago (Scotland) is likely to be linked to this environmental phenomenon (http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Scientists-say-theyve-solved-riddle.5425953.jp). They suggest that the average increase in winter temperatures has resulted in smaller animals surviving the harsh winters to their first birthday. This is said to have increased the gene pool elements that result in more relatively small lambs being born. A study that compared the weights of these feral animals from 1985 to 2004 found that average weight had declined by more than 80g per year. Of course, other factors like the numbers of sheep and the amount of forage per animal would have had to have remained constant.