Humpback Whale. Photo by Cheryl Emerick from Unsplash
Humpback Whales, British Columbia
A hungry humpback named Harry
said: this krill shortage can be quite scary.
It’s just climate change; don’t be alarmed…
Your buddy Harry’s found a salmon farm.
We can outsmart the humans…Don’t worry!
A gourmet menu we will enjoy
when new fishing strategies we employ.
Fishing in shallow waters we can do.
Dolphins fish together…we can too!
Now don’t you think Harry’s a smart boy?
Forest Chimpanzees. Photo by Andrea Acanfera from Pexels
Savannah Chimpanzees, Senegal
Some chimpanzees left their forest home.
The scorching Savannah they did roam.
Scarce resources required large territories,
more walking upright with fewer trees.
It would get even hotter in years to come!
Global warming? We’ll shed some hair!
Hungry? More termite fishing…Who cares?
Thirsty? There’s a river…We’re in luck!
We’ll dig a little hole and filter out the muck.
We’re Savannah Chimps and proud of living here!
Marine Iguana, Galapagos. Photo by Michael Gerrard from Pexels
Marine Iguana, Galapagos Islands
Darwin studied iguanas; so fascinated was he
with the only lizards that swim in the sea!
Hypothermia, though, is a threat…
Global warming makes rocks hotter yet!
Iguanas can adapt remarkably…
Marine Iguanas shrink in el Nino.
Amazingly, in la Nina, they regrow!
Bone is reabsorbed to shorten their spines;
bone is regrown in cooler times…
Can they survive climate change? We don’t know!
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Is Global Warming speeding up animal evolution?
Animals in many places are responding to climate change by changing their behaviors. Warming seawater has resulted in a decrease in the number of krill, a tiny shrimp that is the primary food of humpback whales.
One group of whales have adapted by finding a new food source, salmon fry from a hatchery in British Columbia whose mission is to replenish the dwindling salmon population. One whale changed his diet from krill to salmon fry. He feasted when the salmon fry were released from their net enclosures.
Humans then started transporting the fry a mile away to release them. The whale followed the boat and adapted by learning to fish in the shallow water. Then he recruited a team of his buddies to fish in teams as dolphins do. I guess the hatchery will have to produce a much larger crop of salmon fry to feed the hungry humpback whales and still have enough salmon for human fishermen!
A group of forest chimpanzees migrated to the savannah of Senegal. The climate was hotter, there were fewer trees, and sources of food were far apart. The chimps responded to the heat by growing less body hair. They established larger territories. Because there were fewer trees, chimps spent more time walking upright than their forest relatives, who usually travel by swinging through the treetops.
Because there was less fruit to serve as a source of water, they had to find fresh water sources. To purify mucky water, they learned to dig holes in sandy riverbanks. When the water filtered through the sand, the holes were filled with clean water for the chimps to drink.
As a source of protein, the savannah chimps use twigs to fish for termites, spending much more time in this activity than forest chimps do. In the middle of the day, when weather is hot, these chimps seek shelter in caves, as early humans once did.
As the climate warms, the savannah will become many degrees hotter. Water sources will dry up. Life will become even more difficult for the savannah chimps. Will they be able to survive?
Marine Iguanas, famously studied by Charles Darwin, live in the Galapagos Islands, a harsh environment. To survive hot weather, they shrink their bodies. In cooler periods, they regrow to their usual size. Too long in cold water, iguanas face hypothermia, which can be fatal. Can marine Iguanas survive global warming?
For more information, watch the PBS video on YouTube, “Earth is Changing (and Animals are Adapting in Surprising Ways.)” Evolution Earth
https://to.pbs.org/44Cuts5|#EvolutionEarthPBS
Earthly Days is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
in both softcover and Kindle version.
Gulf Coast Poet 