Arctic shrinking could leave seal pups homeless
Shrinking sea ice in the Arctic could dramatically reduce areas where it’s suitable for ringed seals to reproduce, threatening their survival.
They’re currently under consideration to be listed as a threatened species, and they build caves in snow drifts on ice to rear their young.
The snow depths must be on average at least 20 centimeters, or 8 inches, to enable drifts deep enough to support the caves — but climate predictions say this may not be possible.
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: Brendan Kelly/NSA
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