[peeps36]

Shouldn't we see smaller animals as we get to warmer climates closer to the equator?

[org.whodat]

If the story was true, it isn’t so.

[VanShuyten]

Generally, in mammals the ratio of surface area to volume increases, which is good for retaining heat, as the climate gets colder. That resulted in large mammoths, bears, cats and beavers during the last ice age. Today, northern mammals, such as grizzly and polar bears, Siberian tigers and snow hares tend to be larger than their tropical counterparts. This is not true of cold-blooded beasts such as snakes and lizards.

However, many other things affect size. For example, there's the "island effect" which causes Indonesian hippos, rhinos, and elephants (and perhaps even humans such as the Flores Hobbit man) to be much smaller than their African relatives. Changing food supplies and introduction of new species also affect size.

Therefore, for these scientists to say that global warming caused this one type of animal to shrink is really stretching for a reason.