Animals Imperiled by Global Warming

Arctic animals have become iconic for species that may perish under global warming, but dozens more species in climates throughout the United States are also being affected, some in ways that threaten their long term survival.

Cold-water fish like trout and salmon are losing habitat as stream waters warm. Migratory birds are changing migration patterns, arriving at destinations weeks before food sources are plentifully available.

Other animals must search harder for preferred food sources. For example, Whitebark pine trees, a key fall food source for grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, are being lost to pests that are invading higher elevations as temperatures warm.

The Canada lynx, already federally listed as a threatened species, is at risk of losing important seasonal habitat due to shortening winters.

At the other end of the climate spectrum, the beautiful “i”iwi — an Hawaiian bird — is also at risk. These tiny scarlet nectar eaters live on mountain slopes — cool habitats usually safe from mosquitoes. However, warming temperatures now allow mosquitoes, carrying avian malaria to migrate into these areas and decimate i’iwi populations.

By changing the very nature of habitats, global warming is forcing animals to change their eating, mating and migration behaviors. Animals are struggling to adapt, while some simply won’t be able to do so.

Escaping the heat

Some animals, such as California’s pika, are moving to higher elevations to escape the heat. However, new habitats are not always suitable for such animals.

Sometimes known as “rock rabbits”, pikas have lived in alpine regions of our public lands for the past 40,000 years. Pikas, which are related to the rabbit, require cool temperatures, making global warming a serious threat to their survival.

One hundred years ago, twenty-five known populations of pika existed in the Great Basin of Nevada and California, yet by 2006 that number dropped to 17. The remaining communities have struggled to escape rising temperatures, migrating almost 2,000 feet higher in elevation. If the planet continues to warm, they will run out of room.

Some scientists speculate that the pika will be gone from the Great Basin within a hundred years.