Climate Change Threatens to Extinct Even More Animals

Bramble Cay Melomys

The Bramble Cay melomys was a small rodent native to Bramble Cay, a tiny island in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

It had reddish-brown fur and a long tail. Rising sea levels choked out the vegetation that this rodent ate. 1978, researchers counted hundreds of individuals, but 20 years later, they counted less than 100.

Now, there are none. Scientists believe the rising sea levels is caused by melting ice sheets and water expanding as it warms.

Pinta Island Tortoises

Pinta Island tortoises had saddleback shells, elongated necks, and sturdy limbs. Rising temperatures and altered rainfall patterns disrupted the tortoise's food sources and breeding habitats.

This led to the species dying off, with the last one, called Lonesome George, dying in 2012. This is just the last of 10 species of giant tortoises that have gone extinct on the island.

Western Glacier Stoneflies

Western glacier stoneflies have delicate wings and slender bodies. Among other places, they live in Glacier National Park, near glacier streams. Officials with the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service say that the amount of water in glacier streams may shrink by 80^ before 2050.

As temperatures rise, glaciers melt at accelerated rates. This exposes barer rock and soil, which absorbs more sunlight, leading to increased heating of the surrounding area. Therefore, vulnerable insects may become extinct.

Quino Checkerspot Butterfly

A quino checkerspot butterfly has intricate wing patterns that are orange, black, and white. They have a wingspan of about 1.5 inches. These butterflies are especially vulnerable to rises in temperatures.

Warmer temperatures can cause them to emerge from their cocoons earlier. This butterfly eats almost exclusively on sunflowers.

Therefore, sunflowers may be unavailable for them to dine on when they appear too early.

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers

Ivory-billed woodpeckers are some of the largest woodpeckers in the world, with each bird being about 20 inches tall and usually having a wingspan of about 30 inches.

This bird has been hotly debated because some experts believe that it is extinct. If the ivory-billed woodpecker exists, then it is gravely endangered because of habitat loss in Louisiana swamps.

Yangtze River Dolphins

Climate change helped the Yangtze River dolphin to become extinct, with the last one being seen in 2006. These pale gray to white dolphins had long, narrow beaks and rounded foreheads.

While this animal is extinct, scientists warn that other animals are highly endangered as the water level in the river goes down. These animals include the Yangtze finless porpoises and Chinese alligators.

Thanks to combined efforts by many conservation groups, the Yangtze River has been healthier than at any time in the last 20 years.

Still, climate change can quickly undo the efforts to protect the river, which is the longest in Asia.

Mountain Pygmy Possums

Mountain pygmy possums live in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and the Victorian Alps. These possums have compact bodies, rounded ears, and prehensile tails.

Scientists say that as the snowline moves upward due to warmer temperatures, the existence of this species is threatened. They believe that they have created a plan to help this species survive.

A team of scientists believes that the possums moved up in elevation as they moved up the flanks of the Great Dividing Range. Therefore, they theorize that they can be transferred to forests at lower elevations.

Yet, this plan is risky because the possums usually hibernate all winter. They think that is an adaptation to the colder temperatures, so they are hopeful that once in warmer areas, they will not need to hibernate all winter.

Polar Bears

Polar bears rely on cold weather and ice to mate, hunt and sometimes den. The disappearance of sea ice and the warming of temperatures significantly impact them.

Temperatures in most of the 19 key areas where polar bears live rise four times faster than the Earth's average temperature. The loss of sea ice means they have to spend more energy to hunt for food because swimming burns more calories than walking on sea ice.

Bears eat the most in late spring, about 66% of their energy from food. Since the ice melts sooner and forms later in the winter, they have less time to catch prey by lying on the ice.

Scientists have noticed that polar bears are starting to weigh less on average. Furthermore, they have fewer cubs, and the mortality rate in their cubs is higher.

Scientists fear that the Subarctic population of polar bears will become extinct by 2100.

Koalas

Koala bears eat only eucalyptus leaves. When the atmosphere contains more CO2, the leaves are less nutritious. Since it is their only food source, scientists believe this would cause koala bears to go extinct within a few decades.

Furthermore, as temperatures rise and less rain falls, more bushfires occur. These fires destroy the habitat where koalas live. Even more habitats are being destroyed by coal mining.

Researchers fear the habitat will become so fragmented that the species' survival is difficult.

Climate change is impacting the survival of many animals. In some cases, it is destroying their food or making it harder to obtain. In other cases, it is fragmenting their habitat, making it more challenging for animals to mate and reproduce. In still other cases, climate change is causing species to go extinct.