The Arctic is a place of immense biodiversity. Sadly, many of its species are vulnerable to extinction. Let’s help.
This NATIONAL THREATENED SPECIES DAY, we are traveling to the Arctic to learn more about its incredible, albeit at risk, species.
Despite its seemingly stark expanse, the Arctic is a place of rich biodiversity, home to more than 21,000 known species and sustaining over 4 million human inhabitants.
Unfortunately, due to climate change, the Arctic is warming at an alarming rate — three times faster than the global average. In the past 30 years, the thickest Arctic ice shrank by 95%. If emissions aren’t reduced, all arctic ice could be gone by 2040. This poses a severe risk for arctic wildlife, including recognizable species, such as polar bears (whose population may decrease by 66% over the next 50 years due to sea ice loss) and beluga whales (whose population has declined by 80% since 1970), as well as those not so well known, like the elusive narwhal.
The narwhal, whose appearance inspired the legend of the unicorn, is a whale species that remains a mystery to scientists today. They have one single tusk (which is, in fact, an overgrown tooth) and can dive great depths (up to 1500 meters) due to their compressional ribcage and ability to shut off blood flow to certain organs. We may not know much about them yet, but we do know narwhals are dependent on sea ice as protection against predators. As sea ice melts, narwhals become more threatened.
You can help, though. By donating to save Arctic species, you can be a part of protecting the future of at risk species, like narwhals, as well as our planet’s BIODIVERSITY.
