Arctic reindeer are "shrinking" as climate change continues to affect ecosystems near the North Pole, say scientists.
The average weight of an adult reindeer on the Svalbard group of islands, to the north of Norway, fell from 121lbs to a little more than 106lbs between 1994 and 2010, a drop of 12 per cent.
Rising temperatures have led to an abundance of food in the summer, making females more likely to conceive in the autumn and add to herd numbers, said Professor Steve Albon of the James Hutton Institute in Scotland, which carried out the study with a team of Norwegian researchers.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, they have also caused the usual winter snowfall to be replaced by rain, which then freezes over, making edible pastures inaccessible for wildlife.
Winters are getting "increasingly tough", Albon said, and reindeer will often starve or give birth to under-developed young due to problems with the frozen food supply.
Forecasts for the future are not optimistic. "Scientists are predicting there will be more smaller reindeer in the Arctic in the coming decades, even possible extinction," says the International Business Times.
Temperatures in the Arctic are increasing at a faster rate than anywhere else on the planet due to a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The IBT adds that the scientists' study follows a report by the Arctic Council last month that the region is facing large-scale "regime changes" as a result of global warming, with particular focus on Greenland and a possible collapse of fisheries due to depleted oxygen levels in the ocean.
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
