Animals are changing shape due to the climate crisis. “Soon we can jump with the real Dumbo”

Research by scientists at Deakin University has shown that the beaks of some parrots in Australia have grown by 4-10 percent since 1871. brings the guard. Forest mice have longer tails and legs than before, and their bat cousins ​​have extended their wings. In turn, shrews grow tails and legs.

The changes are relatively small, less than 10%, so they remained unnoticed for a long time. However, we expect that prominent members like ears will grow, and in the near future we may end up with the real Dumbo

Sarah Riding, study author. Let us remind you that Dumbo is a small elephant from the movie with abnormally large ears.

Scientists have no doubt that these changes are linked to climate crisis.

Animals evolve to adapt to the climate. But it’s not good

Changes have been recorded in the animals Warm-blooded animals and related to the organs responsible for thermoregulation. The beaks, legs, tails and wings of birds in mammals are not covered with feathers or fur, and thus provide cooling. The dynamically increasing average temperature since the Industrial Revolution has meant that animals began to quickly adapt to conditions on Earth.

But changing the shape does not mean that animals are adapting to climate change and that all is well

Reading says. She adds that animals evolve to survive, but it is not known what they will be environmental consequences of these changes. It is also uncertain whether all species are capable of change.

It is time for us to understand that animals also need to adapt to climate change, but this is happening in a much shorter time than in the past.

Reading adds.

Climate change in Poland means longer and stronger heat waves

According to the government document “National Environmental Policy”, climatic scenarios for Poland show that the most common atmospheric phenomena related to global warming in this decade will be heat waves with a tendency to extend their duration. For the largest Polish cities, an increase in the number of hot days is expected (maximum temperature exceeds 30 ° C).

weather A particular period depends on a number of variables, and regardless of climate change, periods are hotter and colder. However, as the average temperature of the planet increases, the resulting temperature is higher. So what was once an extremely hot period is becoming more common with climate change, with days of unprecedentedly high temperatures in a particular place.

“What we today call an ‘extreme heat wave’, we will simply call it ‘summer’ for decades, unless we sharply reduce carbon emissions. wgla. The choice is ours … ”- warns Michael E. Mann, one of the world’s most famous climatologists.

You can read more about the effects of the climate crisis and the solutions we have to combat it on the website Zielona.Gazeta.pl.