Photo: Warming Creating Extinction Risks for Hibernators



A marmot peers out from a grass-lined rock enclosure in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park.

Scientists have found that marmots in the Rockies are ending their hibernation a month earlier on average that they did 30 years ago, as springs come earlier and winters grow warmer.

The research is part of large and growing body of work showing that global warming may be putting hibernating animals at risk for extinction by rousing them from their slumbers prematurely, before they can find enough food or sufficient protection from predators.

Photograph by James L. Amos/NGS


EMAIL NEWSLETTER Photos and News of the Week

Get the top photos and news of the week from National Geographic News, plus occasional breaking-news alerts.

See Sample >>
Please enter a valid email address
Privacy Policy
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photo and Headline Widget

Put our latest news and photos on your Web page or desktop—automatically updates! See Sample