Dateline: Helsinki
According to a report in USA Today, researchers at the University of Helsinki are reporting that the milder winters are causing a shift in the survival rates of two varieties of the Finnish Tawny owl. Over some 20 odd years of study revealed that the gray variety does better in winter than the brown variety. But with the milder winters of late (less snow) the brown variety is now doing better than the gray. The guess is that other animals hunting the owls find it harder to spot the gray when there's more snow and they find it harder to spot the brown when there's less snow.
I don't think Chuck Darwin would be surprised in the least.
No comments:
Post a Comment