Dear Friends,
THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM WITH KATHY BYRNES, CHARLES GOLDMAN, AND ME:
(01:00) How some animals are adapting to climate change;
(05:46) Could bird flu jump to humans?
(18:51) Surgeon General urges cancer warnings on booze;
(37:13) Republicans aren’t interested in fixing Social Security;
(53:48) Big Spud lands a collusion lawsuit.
Foxy fox squirrel.
With so many reasons to feel despondent about the state of the world, I was greatly encouraged last week by this article in The Guardian: Shrinking trees and tuskless elephants: the strange ways species are adapting to humans.
I had no idea that so many species are evolving — and evolving quickly! — in response to humanity’s massive footprint. Fox squirrels, for example, have done particularly well in our Des Moines neighborhood of Sherman Hill. On our block, they now own most of the houses, while the rich, loose soil of Birds & Bees Urban Farm is their preferred pantry for nut storage.
To be clear, we have to stop messing up the planet. Plants and animals evolving is not the long-term solution. The sixth major extinction continues, alas. But the adaptations presented in The Guardian story are intriguing, encouraging, and worth noting. Charles and I talk about some of them during the first segment of this week’s program, as a lead-in to our discussion about viruses and whether bird flu might jump to humans.
Anyway, here are some examples from the story.
LITTLE BIRDY DEATH SPIKES. We humans like to ring our fortresses with killer barbs to discourage pigeons and other undesirable aviators from roosting, nesting in the eaves, or spying on us. Iowa’s State Capitol Building is a shining example. As a lawmaker, I assumed the massive phalanx of spikes was working, since the only pigeon piece I ever saw was the occasional head left behind by a peregrine falcon.
Those falcons were viciously effective. But I’m more impressed with the magpie, who has figured out how to convert a liability into an asset. Magpies actually rip out the spikes and use them to line their nests! That not only creates a well-fortified nest, it deters crows from stealing eggs.
PALE SNAILS. In some cities in the Netherlands, snails now have paler-colored shells than they used to. No, it’s not a fashion statement, which was my first guess. Climate change is warming cities more rapidly than rural areas — significantly, in some cases. City snails have responded by developing more reflective shells.
Dutch biologist, Menno Schilthuizen, says: “Snails inside dark shells tend to heat up more, risking death by overheating. Probably, the pale shell color keeps the snails just cool enough on the hottest days of summer in the city.”
FLYING THE LESS-FRIENDLY SKIES. Closer to home, cliff swallows living under highway bridges in Nebraska got tired of being hit by fast-moving cars and trucks. They responded by forming an association (kidding) and evolving shorter wings (seriously).
A University of Nebraska-Lincoln study found that the shorter wings give the birds greater agility, letting them dodge traffic that their longer-winged kinfolk have a harder time avoiding.
TUSKS, WHO NEEDS ‘EM? Poaching elephants for their tusks has gone on for centuries. Sadly, 2024 saw a surge driven by an increased demand for ivory, particularly in China. Not surprisingly, elephant populations across eastern and southern Africa are in significant decline, despite government efforts to ban the sale of ivory.
Yet in areas with heavy poaching, up to 50 percent of females are now being born without tusks. That compares with 2-4 percent of females in areas protected from poaching. Again, astounding — but also problematic, since elephants rely on tusks to protect themselves from predators, to dig for water and strip bark from trees for food, and to move heavy objects.
BOTTOM LINE: This is the tip of the iceberg in terms of good news about how various species are adapting to the negative impacts of civilization. (Beyond the fox squirrels, don’t get me started on Sherman Hill’s robust raccoon and possum populations!) So sure, it’s encouraging, but the species that really needs to adapt is Homo Sapiens.
And we’ve got a long ways to go. The sooner we get serious about living in harmony with the world around us, the better off all life on Earth will be.
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed Fallon
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