Gray whales shrinking fast as climate warms
Washington (AFP) - Pacific coast gray whales have shrunk in length an astonishing 13 percent since 2000, adding to evidence that climate change and other human activities are making marine mammals smaller, a study says. Their diminished size could have big impacts on survival rates and reproductive success -- and trigger ripple effects throughout their entire food webs. For the paper, researchers focused on the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) -- around 200 whales that are part of the wider Eastern North Pacific (ENP) population of around 14,500. Considered "ecosystem sentinels," they stay c...