10 Species That May Go Extinct Due To Climate Change
- 7 years ago
Here are 10 species particularly at risk due to climate change.
Climate change is expected to have widespread impact on humans as well as animals. Here are 10 species that are particularly at risk due to the changing weather patterns.
TEN: Harlequin FrogClimate change is bringing a lethal concoction to this brilliantly colored frog: dwindling habitat, increasing temperatures, and a toxic chytrid fungus have resulted in declining numbers across “110 known harlequin frog species,” according to National Geographic.
NINE: Giant PandaPopular Science reports that pandas can “overheat at temperatures of just 77 degrees,” so with increasing temperatures caused by climate change, they are quickly "[running] out of cool mountainside refuges to chill in.” Even though pandas were reclassified as a ‘Vulnerable’ versus an ‘Endangered’ species in 2016, their dwindling habitat coupled with the slow growth of their only source of food, bamboo forests, is leaving them with fewer survival options.
EIGHT: Whooping CraneThe Whooping Crane made a comeback after hunters almost drove the bird to extinction but now they face new challenges with changing weather and rising waters threatening a habitat that once provided safety from predators. However, there is hope as scientists continue to implement innovative solutions to protect this critically endangered species.
SEVEN: Chevron ButterflyfishThis vibrant butterflyfish has a wide global footprint so it might surprise you to see them as a rapidly dwindling species; it is their picky diet that gets them as they stick to only one type of coral that is degrading quickly. Scientists describe this as, “a stark example of how human pressure on the world's coral reefs is confronting certain species with 'blind alleys' from which they may be unable to escape.” SIX: Red-Ruffed LemurThis beautiful bright red primate is dwindling in numbers and has been pushed to smaller and smaller areas of Madagascar. "This makes the species more vulnerable to the destructiveness of the region’s more frequent and intense cyclones, an effect of climate change," notes TakePart.
FIVE: Woodland CaribouRising temperatures have attracted other wildlife to the woodland caribou’s once less-populated habitat. To top it off, changing weather also ends up confining their plant food sources under layers of ice, starving thousands all at once.
FOUR: Hawksbill TurtleDespite being classified as endangered for over forty years, this sea turtle is still hunted for its shell. If that wasn’t enough, climate change is bringing mass collapse to coral reefs the animal uses to find food.
THREE: KoalasThe once nutrient rich home of koalas, the Eucalyptus tree, is quickly changing, becoming toxic and inedible as increased carbon dioxide levels alter the tree's chemistry.
TWO: Adélie PenguinClimate change has drastically changed habitat conditions for this Antarctic penguin, and as a result it is the puffy new chicks and fragile eggs that bear the repercussions. With the species numbers already in quick decline, a study from last year notes that as much as 60 percent of this penguin’s home might not be habitable by the year 2100.
ONE: Snow LeopardIn a classic tale of dwindling habitat due to rising temperatures, this leopard has been forced higher and higher to where the snow still remains; however, this also means their typical food sources may not be climbing with them. There are only around 4,000 of these hungry cats left in the wild.
Climate change is expected to have widespread impact on humans as well as animals. Here are 10 species that are particularly at risk due to the changing weather patterns.
TEN: Harlequin FrogClimate change is bringing a lethal concoction to this brilliantly colored frog: dwindling habitat, increasing temperatures, and a toxic chytrid fungus have resulted in declining numbers across “110 known harlequin frog species,” according to National Geographic.
NINE: Giant PandaPopular Science reports that pandas can “overheat at temperatures of just 77 degrees,” so with increasing temperatures caused by climate change, they are quickly "[running] out of cool mountainside refuges to chill in.” Even though pandas were reclassified as a ‘Vulnerable’ versus an ‘Endangered’ species in 2016, their dwindling habitat coupled with the slow growth of their only source of food, bamboo forests, is leaving them with fewer survival options.
EIGHT: Whooping CraneThe Whooping Crane made a comeback after hunters almost drove the bird to extinction but now they face new challenges with changing weather and rising waters threatening a habitat that once provided safety from predators. However, there is hope as scientists continue to implement innovative solutions to protect this critically endangered species.
SEVEN: Chevron ButterflyfishThis vibrant butterflyfish has a wide global footprint so it might surprise you to see them as a rapidly dwindling species; it is their picky diet that gets them as they stick to only one type of coral that is degrading quickly. Scientists describe this as, “a stark example of how human pressure on the world's coral reefs is confronting certain species with 'blind alleys' from which they may be unable to escape.” SIX: Red-Ruffed LemurThis beautiful bright red primate is dwindling in numbers and has been pushed to smaller and smaller areas of Madagascar. "This makes the species more vulnerable to the destructiveness of the region’s more frequent and intense cyclones, an effect of climate change," notes TakePart.
FIVE: Woodland CaribouRising temperatures have attracted other wildlife to the woodland caribou’s once less-populated habitat. To top it off, changing weather also ends up confining their plant food sources under layers of ice, starving thousands all at once.
FOUR: Hawksbill TurtleDespite being classified as endangered for over forty years, this sea turtle is still hunted for its shell. If that wasn’t enough, climate change is bringing mass collapse to coral reefs the animal uses to find food.
THREE: KoalasThe once nutrient rich home of koalas, the Eucalyptus tree, is quickly changing, becoming toxic and inedible as increased carbon dioxide levels alter the tree's chemistry.
TWO: Adélie PenguinClimate change has drastically changed habitat conditions for this Antarctic penguin, and as a result it is the puffy new chicks and fragile eggs that bear the repercussions. With the species numbers already in quick decline, a study from last year notes that as much as 60 percent of this penguin’s home might not be habitable by the year 2100.
ONE: Snow LeopardIn a classic tale of dwindling habitat due to rising temperatures, this leopard has been forced higher and higher to where the snow still remains; however, this also means their typical food sources may not be climbing with them. There are only around 4,000 of these hungry cats left in the wild.