Some animals are evolving new body shapes as the climate changes

By Krista Charles

Endotherms, commonly called warm-blooded animals, have changed the shape of their bodies over the past century to keep themselves cooler in response to rising global temperatures.

Many animals have body parts that stick out, such as ears, beaks, limbs and tails. Sara Ryding at Deakin University in Australia and her colleagues have found that a variety of animals have been responding to increasing global temperatures by increasing the size of these appendages.

“I …