Monday, February 7, 2011

Wolverines endangered by warming climes

Sure, we've heard about polar bears, but what about wolverines, the vicious big brothers to weasels and minks? Apparently warming temperatures aren't good for these guys for a couple of reasons:

1. “We’ve always known there was a strong association between wolverine and snow,” Copeland says. “It’s an animal that evolved in a snowy arctic environment.”

That snow proves especially important for moms. Around February they look for the ideal site to burrow in and create a den. This temporary home has to survive until their pups wean, around mid-May, which means deep snow has to persist that long. And real estate that meets those criteria is becoming increasingly limited."


This is taken from a really, really good article that will provide a great deal of information about wolverines, much more than simply that they are the mascot for the University of Michigan.

Wolverines: Climate warming threatens comeback


2. From another article, similar subject, "Wolverine Population Threatened by Climate Change"

is this: "The computer projections also showed that August temperatures may increase dramatically. Whereas August temperatures currently top off at about 72 degrees F (22 degrees C) in areas where wolverines live, maximum daily temperatures by the end of the century were projected to frequently exceed 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) under the two higher-emissions scenarios. Unless the wolverine is able to very rapidly adapt to summertime temperatures far above anything it currently experiences, and to a spring with little or no snow cover, it is unlikely that it will continue to survive in the contiguous U.S. under a high or medium-low emissions scenario," the study concludes.

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