Abstract
Using museum data of adult specimens whose sex, age, and locality are known, we studied temporal and geographical body size trends among the otter, Lutra lutra, in Norway. We found that body size of the otters increased during the last quarter of the twentieth century, and suggest that this trend is related to increased food availability from fish farming and possibly also to energy saving due to elevated sea temperatures. Birth year and death year explained 38.8 and 43.5%, respectively, of the variation in body size. Body size of otters was positively related to latitude, thus conforming to Bergmann’s rule.
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Acknowledgements
Y. Yom-Tov and S. Yom-Tov wish to thank Ann Karin Hufthammer and Tore Fredriksen for their help at Bergen Museum and Naomi Paz for English editing. We are grateful to Eli Geffen and Uzi Morto for their help and two anonymous referees for their very useful comments. This study was partially financed by the Israel Cohen Chair for Environmental Zoology to Y. Yom-Tov.
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Yom-Tov, Y., Heggberget, T.M., Wiig, Ø. et al. Body size changes among otters, Lutra lutra, in Norway: the possible effects of food availability and global warming. Oecologia 150, 155–160 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0499-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0499-8