3 ms·

Who knew there were over 400 different medical conditions that can cause dwarfism?

• logfromblammo 12y ago
  When you define dwarfism as "adult height <= 147 cm", I'm not surprised. Animal biology is complex, and a lot of competing factors come into play when determining the dimensions of an adult. Cross-species hybrids have reciprocal crosses, like the hinny is to the mule, or the tigon is to the liger. The gestation environment produces different results from (theoretically) the same genetic mix. Hinnies are smaller than mules, and tigons smaller than ligers. Any deficiency of several single dietary factors prior to maturity could cause retarded or stunted growth. The drugs typically used in the parents' household could have an effect, like tobacco smoke. Biological colonies in the home might have an effect. Cockroaches, dust mites, or mold spores could be prompting some epigenetic response. Then there's autoimmune disorders, endocrine feedback disruption, unethical human experimentation, physical traumas, contagious disease during a critical growth period, etc. That's really a testament to the adaptability of animal species. A huge variety of environmental stresses result in a smaller, but still-viable, organism.