<
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wolverines-receive-federal-protection-as-threatened-species-in-lower-48-states-180983346/>
"As global warming melts their snowy habitat, wolverines in the contiguous
United States will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act,
earning them additional federal protections. The move comes after years of
legal back and forth over the survival prospects of the animals amid climate
change and other human activities.
“Current and increasing impacts of climate change and associated habitat
degradation and fragmentation are imperiling the North American wolverine,”
says Hugh Morrison, the Pacific regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), in a statement. “Based on the best available science, this
listing determination will help to stem the long-term impact and enhance the
viability of wolverines in the contiguous United States.”
Currently, an estimated 300 wild wolverines remain in the Lower 48 states,
inhabiting the Rocky and Cascade mountains of Wyoming, Washington, Montana,
Idaho and Oregon. These elusive creatures may look like small, dark-brown
bears, but they’re actually the largest members of the weasel family.
Wolverines (
Gulo gulo) rely on a snowy, cold environment. The carnivorous
predators eat rodents and rabbits, but they’ll also scavenge the carcasses of
larger animals. Sometimes, they cache carrion for later, using the frigid
temperatures of their high-elevation habitats to refrigerate and preserve the
food.
Females build dens in deep snow banks to give birth in February and March, and
they remain in the dens with their kits through May. To find snow that will
last that long into spring, wolverines typically den at elevations of 7,000
feet or higher.
However, as global temperatures continue to rise, finding places to store food
and build dens will become increasingly challenging for the animals, scientists
say. The USFWS estimates wolverines could lose 23 percent of their habitat
within the next 30 years because of climate change—and 63 percent over the next
75 years.
As snowy areas shrink, their habitat will also become fragmented, making it
harder for wolverines to find mates. This, in turn, may lead to inbreeding and
a lack of genetic diversity."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-indigenous-rights-ecuador-deforestation-amazon-hiv-south-africa/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
