The Newest Evidence of Climate Change: Shrinking Goats

Evidence for human-caused global warming can come in large forms, such as temperature readings that suggest 2014 will be the hottest year yet. Or it can come in small guises, like the shrinking ungulates of the Italian Alps.

Scientists have known for a while that hotter weather often creates smaller animals. Warm-blooded animals can drop body weight because they no longer need the protection from the chill it provides, for example; some cold-blooded creatures have their metabolisms kicked up by heat, requiring them to either eat more or lose mass. And researchers say this thinning process is now happening with stunning speed in populations of Alpine Chamois, a species of goat antelope that really needs that extra muscle, considering (fun fact!) they like to "attack the belly and flanks of their rivals in order to rip it open with the sharp hooked horns."