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We are talking about a fascinating evolutionary process called insular dwarfism which occurs when a mammal's gene pool is limited to a very small and secluded environment, usually an island.
Islands are “laboratories of evolution” and home to animal species with many unique features, including dwarfs that evolved to very small sizes compared to their mainland relatives, and giants ...
The islands were colonised by field voles that swam there from the mainland. The researchers measured and weighed field voles in two mainland and six outer archipelago locations between 1983 and 1987.
Insular evolution: Large and big-footed voles in an outer archipelago Date: August 7, 2010 ... in the outer archipelago of Stockholm are larger and have longer feet than those living on the mainland.
An example of insular dwarfism is the Florida key deer, a dwarf version of the mainland white-tailed deer; its small size may be an adaptation to the limited resources found on the islands.
Table showing relative sizes of island-dwelling mammal species and subspecies as compared with their presumed mainland relatives. Source: Foster, J. Bristol, "Evolution of Mammals on Islands ...