How climate change is changing animal behavior
Climate change is rapidly changing animal behavior as resources become more sparse, causing hunting and foraging patterns to change. As animals have a more challenging time finding the plants, animals, and insects in their diets, a different migration pattern becomes their only option. This alters breeding behaviors and may eventually result in individuals having difficulty finding mates!
As the climate crisis continues to impact the environment, animals (including humans) are forced to adjust. The danger here is that animal behavior could rapidly shift and come into more conflict with humans! Predators may be more likely to go closer to human settlement to prey on livestock, and rodents may come into homes more frequently to stay warm.
When a battle for resources begins, all we know about animal behavior goes out the window.
How Do Animals Adapt To Weather Changes?
When typical weather patterns begin to change, animals have to either adapt or die. A great deal of what we’d usually see as “typical” behavior becomes altered in adapting. This could look like birds migrating at different times of the year than usual because the snow starts to come earlier and last longer. Whales may swim south for the winter earlier because their regular resource supply has changed.
Other species may start growing their coats differently to adapt to a colder climate, while others may thin out their coats to accommodate unusually high temperatures. All of the changes animals must make in these cases change how they socialize, breed, and interact with their environment.
Will All Animals Survive Climate Change?
Because there are species that cannot adapt in these ways, a significant die-off is occurring worldwide. We’re in a mass extinction because many species are not fit to live on a planet in these conditions.
For example, certain birds have a specific beak shape to accommodate their prey species. If those prey species go extinct and are unavailable to them, they will have a tough time hunting. In this case, this example bird species would go extinct.
Climate change is not survivable for many animal species because of similar reasons. If the oceans become too unhealthy, the majority of species won’t survive due to a toxic environment. Therefore, only those that can also stay on land would have a chance to adapt.
Land mammals that rely on densely wooded areas like rainforests, jungles, and forests are at higher risk as these types of landscapes thin out. If they do not have places to hide and build safe homes, they won’t have a chance to adapt.
Animal behavior can only adapt within the confines of their needs. The species can’t reinvent itself completely, and therefore if we destroy all of their opportunities to access their needs for survival through habitat and climate destruction, they have no options.
The Impact Of Climate Change On Human Behavior
Like other species, we must alter our behavior to survive the massive environmental changes. As specific regions of the world become flooded, arid, or unlivable for another reason, human migration patterns are changing.
As species become extinct and ecosystems fall, the human diet will likely change to accommodate what’s available. We are not exempt from the struggles that come with a changing climate.