#Biodiversity is decreasing worldwide, and early indicators are needed to identify endangered populations before they start to decline in abundance. In mammals, body mass (BM) is regarded as an indicator of fitness, and its loss is used as an early warning signal preceding population decline. The #gardendormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is a small mammalian #hibernator that has disappeared from over 50% of its former range in the last decades.
#dormouse

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390991780_Reduced_Body_Mass_in_a_Highly_Insectivorous_Mammal_the_Garden_Dormouse-Ecological_Consequences_of_Insect_Decline