African Wild Dogs Can’t Take The Heat, Face Extinction From Climate Change

New study suggests African wild dogs may be doomed by climate change. Photo by Mathias Appel
New study suggests African wild dogs may be doomed by climate change. Photo by Mathias Appel

Things aren’t looking good for Africa’s iconic wildlife. Already, many species are threatened by human activities and habitat loss. Even species once thought to be resilient, like giraffes, are suddenly struggling. Just earlier this week, scientists reported that aardvarks, one of sub-saharan Africa’s most successful and adorable insect-eaters and essential ecosystem engineers—face severe declines and even extinction as rising temperatures and declining rainfall dry out the continent. Now, a new paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology adds African wild dogs to the growing list of species that may be eradicated by our changing climate.

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