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Climate change spurs weight gain in owl monkeys

Phys · · 801 words · By Mike Cummings

A Yale-led study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B indicates that Azara's owl monkeys in Argentina have increased in weight by approximately 4% over 24 years. Researchers suggest that rising temperatures during the monkeys' first year of life reduced the energy needed for thermoregulation, allowing for greater weight gain.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-climate-spurs-weight-gain-owl.html

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Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
schedule Pending 2
info
“Azara's owl monkeys, a small primate species found in South America, are heavier today than those that lived a quarter-century ago”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web search results confirm that Azara's owl monkeys exist in South America, none of the provided evidence sources confirm the specific claim that they have increased in weight over the last 25 years.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nicholas Joseph Fuentes (born August 18, 1998) is an American far-right political commentator, live streamer, and influencer. He hosts the livestreamed show America First, where he has advanced white …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Fuentes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the native wild mammal species recorded in South America. South America's terrestrial mammals fall into three distinct groups: "old-timers", African immigrants and recent North Ameri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_of_South_Ameri…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazism in the Americas has existed since the 1930s. The membership of the earliest groups reflected the sympathies some German Americans and German Latin Americans had for Nazi Germany. They embraced …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism_in_the_Americas
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The study—the first to link climate change to weight changes in living primates—is based on 287 weight measurements of 180 owl monkeys collected between 1999 and 2023 in Formosa, Argentina.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence confirms the general distribution and nature of owl monkeys and the location of Argentina, but no source corroborates the specific study details (180 monkeys, 1999-2023, first to link climate change to weight).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern cone of South America. It covers an area of 2,780,085 km2 (1,073,397 mi2), making it the second-largest country in South Amer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chevrolet Spark (Korean: 쉐보레 스파크) is a city car manufactured by General Motors's subsidiary GM Korea from 1998 to 2022. The vehicle was developed by Daewoo and introduced in 1998 as the Daewoo Mat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Spark
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Italian Argentines (Italian: italo-argentini; Spanish: italoargentinos, or tanos in Rioplatense Spanish) are Argentine-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Argentines
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The researchers found that the monkeys were about 50 grams (1.8 ounces) heavier in 2023 than in 1999, an increase equivalent to 4% of the mean adult weight of 1,300 grams (2.87 pounds).”
SINGLE SOURCE
No provided evidence mentions the specific weight increase of 50 grams or the 4% mean adult weight calculation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He rose to power as the le…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazi-Maoism was a political movement and an ideology that emerged in Italy around 1968, with the formation of a group known as Struggle of the People (Lotta di Popolo). This group of students, from th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi-Maoism
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Saturn Devouring His Son (Spanish: Saturno devorando a su hijo; also known as Saturn) is a painting by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The work is one of the 14 so-called Black Paintings that Goya pain…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Devouring_His_Son
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“The weight gain coincided with a period when daily mean temperatures in the region increased by more than 1 degree Celsius.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Web search results provide current average temperatures for Formosa (22.6°C), but there is no evidence provided regarding the temperature increase trend specifically between 1999 and 2023.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Monthly Temperature Averages. In Formosa, temperatures can shift dramatically between very warm in summer and warm in winter. On average, maximum daytime temperatures range from a very warm 34°C in Ja…
https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-min-max-Temp…
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web search NEUTRAL — Climograph, Formosa average temperature by month, Formosa.The mean temperature prevailing in the city of Formosa is recorded as 22.6 °C | 72.6 °F, according to statistical data.
https://en.climate-data.org/south-america/argentina/formosa/…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“The researchers also found that warmer temperatures in a monkey's first year of life predict heavier weights when they're older.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for 'warmer' are dictionary definitions and product listings; they do not contain scientific data regarding owl monkey growth predictors.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 3, 2026 · The meaning of WARMER is one that warms; especially : a device for keeping something warm. How to use warmer in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warmer
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Shop for Warmers at Walmart.com. Save money. Live better.
https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/warmers
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Keep your hands, drinks, and more at the perfect temperature with our diverse range of high-quality warmers. Discover the features you need for any situation.
https://www.amazon.com/warmer/s?k=warmer
verified
“The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and web search results confirm that 'Proceedings of the Royal Society B' is a legitimate research journal for life sciences.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society was a peer-reviewed scientific journal of entomology established in 1926 by the Royal Entomological Society. A history is presented below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_Royal_Entom…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Proceedings of the Royal Society is the main research journal of the Royal Society. The journal began in 1831 and was split into two series in 1905: Series A: for papers in physical sciences and math…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_Royal_Socie…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, professor of anthropology in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and director of the Owl Monkey Project in Argentina, is the study's senior author.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for 'Eduardo' refers to a footballer and name meanings, not the professor Eduardo Fernandez-Duque.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Eduardo took up Croatian citizenship in 2002 and made his international debut for the Croatia national team as a second-half substitute in a friendly match against Ireland on 16 November 2004 at the a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_(footballer,_born_1983…
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 3, 2026 · The name Eduardo means “rich guardian” or “rich protector.” This reflects the original Old English meaning of the name Edward, which was associated with wealth and protection.
https://www.mamanatural.com/baby-names/boys/eduardo/
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 28, 2019 · Eduardo Name Popularity Related Ratings Comments Namesakes Name Days 75% Rating Save
https://www.behindthename.com/name/eduardo
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“Bergmann's rule... states that individuals of a warm-blooded species inhabiting colder climates have larger mean body sizes than their counterparts in warmer climates.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources (AOL, Yale News, and New World Encyclopedia) all confirm the definition of Bergmann's rule regarding larger body sizes in colder climates for warm-blooded species.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 1847 Bergmann’s Rule explains why certain animals are larger in colder climates. This phenomenon provides valuable insight into climate change and its impact on evolution.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-animals-cold-climates-bigge…
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web search NEUTRAL — The former describes a common pattern wherein individuals of a warm-blooded species inhabiting colder climates — generally located at higher latitudes — have larger average body sizes than those in wa…
https://news.yale.edu/2022/11/29/ecological-rule-breaker-sho…
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web search NEUTRAL — That is, Bergmann's rule states that among mammals and birds, individuals of a particular species in colder areas tend to have greater body mass than individuals in warmer areas.
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bergmann's_rule
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“Azara's owl monkeys are omnivorous, pair-living, and monogamous primates that inhabit the Gran Chaco region of Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Morphology, Systematics, and Taxonomy of Owl Monkeys; PDF on Density and population structure) confirm owl monkeys are small, monogamous primates found in the Chaco region of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
info
“The mean daily temperatures in the region over the course of the study period increased from 22.2 degrees Celsius in 1999 to 23.8 degrees Celsius in 2023”
SINGLE SOURCE
No provided evidence confirms these specific temperature data points for 1999 and 2023.
schedule
“While the monkeys got heavier, their body lengths remained steady.”
PENDING
schedule
“Eric Sargis, professor of anthropology in FAS, is a co-author of the study.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.