What’s the link between rising separation rates in the albatross, usually the most loyal of birds, and the decimation of the male turtle population? You guessed it – climate change. This is the biggest challenge facing our planet, and it’s causing all kinds of strange and concerning problems in nature. From forests to waterways, animals to birds, almost everything is affected.
What’s going on?
Everything and everyone is affected by global warming – even things you’d never think about. Here are a few examples of how global heating is changing nature in ways that most people would never have predicted.
Albatrosses are some of the most monogamous birds around – but climate change appears to be pushing them to higher ‘divorce’ rates. Warming waters and less food are forcing black-browed albatrosses to hunt further afield and raising their stress levels. It’s thought that both of these factors are causing split-up rates to rise from 1-3% to 8%.
Turtle populations are in jeopardy as the sex of hatchlings is decided by the temperature at which they incubate. With temperatures rising and sand becoming warmer, female hatchlings are vastly outnumbering the males. Researchers all over the world are working on solutions to try to help reverse this trend.
These unusual happenings are just two of many similar tales from nature – and yet another worrying chapter in the climate change story. When nature gets out of balance, our planet is dangerously vulnerable.