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You are currently browsing the Environmental Novel: The Haymakers Survey - Our Secret Inheritance weblog archives for the day 01/07/2009.

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Archive for 01/07/2009

The Mysterious Shrinking Sheep

A breed of wild sheep in Scotland are shrinking.  Its happening to Soay sheep on the island of Hirta in the St Kilda archipelago.

soay-sheep.jpg 

Scientists have been studying them since 1985 and the average size of the sheep has decreased by 5%.  Their legs are getting smaller and their weight decreasing.  The shrinking sheep is put down to climate change because smaller lambs are surviving in winter and the lambs of younger sheep - hich tend to be smaller - are surviving, bringing down the average size of the animal.  The team believes that the sheep are still shrinking! Its interesting that sheep should be the focus of this change given the role of Mr Lamb in our project. 

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