The populations of wild mountain goats inhabiting the Italian Alps are reportedly growing smaller due to "heat laziness" believed caused by climate change.

The Alpine chamois mountain goats are experiencing more significant changes from worsening climate conditions.

Durham University in the United Kingdom conducted research concerning the effects of temperature on the average size of the Alpine mountain goats.

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They discovered the goats have lost around 25 percent of their average weight over the course of 30 years.

In the last three decades, the temperature of the mountain goats' habitat increased from 5 degrees to 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Body size declines attributed to climate change are widespread in the animal kingdom, with many fish, bird and mammal species getting smaller. However, the decreases we observe here are astonishing. The impacts on Chamois weight could pose real problems for the survival of these populations," said Tom Mason from the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Durham University.

Researchers were surprised the significant changes to Alpine chamois occurred over a relatively short period of time.

"Heat laziness" or resting in warm temperatures, plays a major role in the loss of body mass in mountain goats.

If climate change has the same effect on domestic livestock, it might have a significant impact on agricultural productivity in the coming decades, according to Stephen Willis, Mason's colleague at Durham University.

Local hunters kept a record of the historical animal body weights.

Loss of body mass in animals could serve as an early indication of problems in the animal kingdom. This could end in population collapse.

Until today, it's still unclear what the fate of the Alpine Chamois population will be.

TagsAlpine goats, mountain goats, Alpine chamois