Lucas M
While we often hear about rising temperatures and melting ice caps, it’s easy to forget that this impacts wildlife seriously and sometimes heartbreakingly. Animals that have lived in certain climates for thousands of years now find it harder to survive in their changing environments. Read on to learn how these 30 remarkable species struggle to cope with our planet’s warming.
Polar Bear
As Arctic ice melts, polar bears lose the sea ice they need for hunting seals, their primary food source. These grand creatures rely on ice to travel long distances, but warming temperatures are causing it to disappear. Without enough food, polar bears struggle to survive and raise their young.
Adélie Penguin
The Adélie penguin thrives in Antarctica, where cold, icy conditions are a must. However, warmer waters due to environmental change impact their food supply, mainly krill and tiny crustaceans they depend on. As the ice melts, the penguins also lose the space they use for breeding, thus leaving them with fewer places to raise their chicks.
Snow Leopard
Snow leopards are expertly equipped to thrive in cold, mountainous regions. But their habitat is shrinking as the Himalayas and other ranges warm up. Thermal increase is causing their natural prey, such as ibex and blue sheep, to move higher up the mountains. They have been left with less food and forced to prey on livestock.
Red Panda
These unique creatures, native to the Eastern Himalayas, depend on cool, temperate forests filled with bamboo. However, elevated heat levels and deforestation are shrinking their habitat. As their environment warms, red pandas are forced to move to higher elevations in search of more relaxed areas, which limits the space where bamboo can grow.
Alaskan Caribou
Also known as reindeer in some regions, Caribou face significant challenges as their tundra habitat warms. Shifts in climate are changing the seasonal timing of plant growth, which causes Caribou to miss the peak of their food supply during their migrations. Warmer temperatures also lead to more insects that can harass and drain their energy.
Sea Turtle
Considered some of the oldest creatures on Earth, planetary warming is putting Sea turtles’ survival at risk. It is harder for their females to lay eggs due to the rising sea levels threatening to flood their nesting beaches. In addition, the warmer sand temperatures can disrupt their natural balance by affecting the gender of turtle hatchlings.
Coral Reef Fish
As the oceans warm, corals undergo “bleaching,” where they lose the algae that give them color and provide nutrients. Without these healthy corals, fish that depend on the reefs for food and shelter are left vulnerable. Many species, from clownfish to groupers, struggle to find the resources to survive as coral reefs decline worldwide.
Koala
Famous for their love of eucalyptus trees, Koalas are iconic Australian animals affected by extreme heat and increased droughts. These conditions affect the trees and koalas’ ability to stay cool. In addition, eucalyptus trees are becoming less nutritious due to higher carbon dioxide levels, meaning koalas must eat more to get the energy they need.
Pika
The pika is a small, furry mammal in North America’s high mountains. These adorable creatures can’t tolerate high temperatures, and with environmental warming, their calm, alpine habitats are becoming warmer. Pikas are being forced to move higher up the mountains, and with the elevated heat levels, they may run out of suitable habitat.
Emperor Penguin
As the most giant penguin species, the emperor penguin relies on thick Antarctic sea ice for breeding and raising chicks. As the ice melts earlier each year, it disrupts the emperor penguins’ breeding cycles. Many perish if chicks aren’t mature enough to survive when the ice breaks apart. Warming oceans reduce the availability of their food sources.
Green Sea Turtle
These remarkable animals play an essential role in marine ecosystems and are classified as endangered. They are highly sensitive to temperature changes during nesting, and warmer sands can lead to skewed gender ratios in hatchlings. Having more females than males can disrupt future populations.
Narwhal
Commonly called the “unicorns of the sea,” Narwhals inhabit the Arctic and depend on sea ice to hunt and avoid predators. As the ice disappears, narwhals are forced to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Their hunting habitat is shrinking, and the open water exposes them to more human activity, such as shipping.
Atlantic Puffin
Without a stable food source, these charming seabirds could face low breeding success in their puffin colonies. Atlantic puffins are known for their brightly colored beaks and excellent fishing skills. Warmer waters are causing fish populations to shift, and it is becoming difficult for puffins to catch the small fish they feed their chicks.
Ringed Seal
Ringed seals are closely tied to the Arctic ice, where they give birth to their pups in snow dens built on the ice surface. However, with the ice melting earlier each year, their pups are open to predators and harsh weather before they are ready. Additionally, warming waters are affecting their food sources.
African Elephant
Currently classified as vulnerable, these magnificent creatures require vast amounts of water daily—up to 80 gallons! However, as planetary warming alters African rainfall patterns, droughts threaten survival. As habitats shrink and food becomes scarce, elephants may venture into human settlements for resources.
Clownfish
Without healthy reefs and stable ocean conditions, clownfish populations are at serious risk. They face the risk of ocean warming and acidification. Rising sea temperatures lead to the destruction of coral reefs, which are home to the sea anemones clownfish rely on for protection. The ocean’s increased CO2 levels also affect their ability to maneuver.
Monarch Butterfly
The decline of monarch populations has been staggering. Monarch butterflies are well known for their remarkable migratory journeys, but global warming is throwing a wrench in their journey. These butterflies depend on specific plants like milkweed for breeding and feeding. As heat increases and weather patterns fluctuate, these plants become less available.
Amur Leopard
Ranking among the world’s most endangered big cats, ecological change endangers its dwindling habitat in the Russian Far East and Northeast China. Warmer temperatures can alter their forest habitats and reduce prey availability. With human activities encroaching on their territory, these leopards may struggle to find safe spaces to thrive.
Arctic Fox
Arctic foxes are at risk of disappearing from some areas without enough food and space. As the tundra changes, so does the availability of food like lemmings, essential to the fox’s diet. Warmer temperatures bring competition from red foxes too, which are larger and can push Arctic foxes out of their territory.
Saiga Antelope
With its distinctive long nose, the saiga antelope roams the plains of Central Asia. However, a global climate shift is bringing harsher and more frequent droughts to the saiga antelope’s fragile environment. It’s harder for them to find food and water. These antelopes are highly susceptible to disease outbreaks, which may become more common as temperatures rise.
Bumblebee
Rising heat patterns and unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting bumblebees’ habitats. They play an essential role in pollinating many plants we rely on for food; however, ecological change has forced some species northward into cooler areas where they can survive. As flowers bloom earlier, bumblebees struggle to find food after hibernation.
American Lobster
As waters warm, lobsters migrate farther north to calmer waters, which affects the fishing industry and the ecosystems they leave behind. Warmer temperatures can also lead to diseases that harm lobster populations. If the ocean continues to warm, lobsters’ traditional habitat in the Gulf of Maine may no longer be suitable.
Mountain Gorilla
These gorillas rely on specific types of vegetation that are becoming scarcer as temperatures rise and weather patterns shift. Rising temperatures can contribute to the more comprehensive transmission of diseases, which mountain gorillas are particularly vulnerable to. Habitat destruction and human encroachment add to the challenges.
Emperor Tamarin
The emperor tamarin, a small monkey distinguished by its impressive mustache, resides in the Amazon rainforests. Changes in rainfall patterns impact the forest’s capacity to support its diverse ecosystems. As their habitats diminish from droughts and wildfires, these little monkeys must venture further to find food.
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Rising ocean temperatures and sea levels trouble hawksbill sea turtles nesting beaches, while warmer sand temperatures can lead to an imbalance in hatchling sexes, with more females being born. Coral bleaching affects the coral reefs where hawksbills feed on sponges. These changes make it harder for hawksbill turtles to find food and successfully reproduce.
Walrus
Walruses depend on sea ice to rest between hunting trips and giving birth. However, with Arctic ice melting at an alarming rate, walruses are losing their habitat. As the ice disappears, they are forced to the edge of survival; they haul out on land in large, overcrowded groups, which can lead to dangerous stampedes.
Red Squirrel
Native to parts of Europe and North America, Red squirrels are facing increasing global warming pressure. Warmer winters are disrupting the timing of food availability, especially the seeds and nuts that squirrels rely on. In some areas, the invasive gray squirrel, better adapted to warmer temperatures, is out competing with the red squirrel for food and habitat.
Spectacled Bear
The spectacled bear, South America’s sole bear species, makes its home in the misty cloud forests of the Andes. Climate change pushes these forests to higher altitudes and shrinks the bear’s habitat. As their environment warms due to changing weather patterns, there’s an increased human-bear conflict as spectacled bears are forced to travel farther for food.
Whale Shark
Regarded as the ocean’s largest fish, they are impacted by warming sea temperatures and changing ocean currents. These gentle giants feed on plankton, which is affected by ocean temperature and circulation patterns. As climate change disrupts the availability of their food, whale sharks have to travel greater distances to find enough to eat.
Yellow-Eyed Penguin
The yellow-eyed penguin, found in New Zealand, is one of the rarest penguins in the world. Alterations in their marine environment make it harder for them to see the fish they need to survive. Warmer ocean temperatures and current changes are reducing their food supply while rising sea levels trouble put their coastal breeding grounds at risk.
Comments
Loading…