Animals could 'shrivel' in size due to global warming, researchers say

By Troy Frisby, Buzz60

Global warming may not just melt the polar icecaps and create a snowpocalypse previously only seen in 'The Day After Tomorrow.'

The AP reports that about 54 million years ago mammals, humans' earliest primate ancestor included, "shriveled a bit in size at least twice in Earth's history when temperatures spiked."

Researchers studied fossil teeth discovered in Wyoming and, according to the AP, a small horse shrunk 14% in size.

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A University of New Hampshire researcher says the horses, originally approximately the size of a dog, "may have gone down to the size of a cat."

That's not the only bad news. D'Ambrosia says it's likely this shrinking isn't isolated to only Wyoming's Bighorn Basin.

She's concerned modern mammals could also shrink in the future as temperatures continue to rise.

No worries, though. Humans aren't expected to be affected this time around.