Allen's Rule - Examples in The Animal Kingdom

Examples in The Animal Kingdom

An example of this rule among mammals is the Polar bear, Ursus maritimus; this species exhibits stocky limbs and very short ears. The limbs are predictable from a ratio of surface area to body mass, while the outer ear architecture reflects the need to minimize surface area of heat radiating elements. Populations of the same species from different latitudes may also follow Allen's rule. R.L. Nudds and S.A. Oswald (2007) of the Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology at the University of Leeds performed a study on seabird exposed length that found exposed leg length was negatively correlated with maximum environmental temperature, supporting the predictions of Allen's rule. According to a study done by J.S. Alho et al. of the Ecological Research Unit of the University of Helsinki, Finland, on the Common Frog, tibia and femur length peaked in populations indigenous to the mid latitudes, consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule for ectothermic organisms.