Climate change often manifests itself in extreme weather events such as sweltering heat domes, catastrophic inland flooding, and record wildfire seasons, putting human lives and livelihoods at risk. But animals around the world, on the front lines of an ever-changing planet, experience these changes a little differently.
[Related: We don’t have a full picture of the planet’s shrinking biodiversity. Here’s why.]
“When we see climate change in the news, we often think of big storms and big weather events, but animals are sensitive to even the smallest changes,” says wildlife filmmaker and presenter. bertie gregory To tell pop science.
In the new series “Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory” viewers will be able to observe these subtleties and changes. In one episode, the team was searching for the elusive devil ray at a dive site in Indonesia when a swarm of hundreds of jellyfish approached.
“Dodging their stingers was like playing a video game. I heard that giant jellyfish plumes like this were becoming a common sight in these tropical waters. But that’s not a good sign,” Gregory said.
Gregory checked his diving thermometer and it read 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit, when the water should have been about 82 degrees. A few degrees may not sound like a big deal, but it has a huge impact on animals. “Jellyfish are thought to be more resilient to climate change than other species, which is why they gathered in such huge numbers that day. For us, that meant no other signs of life,” Gregory said. Masu.
[Related: Maine’s puffins show another year of remarkable resiliency.]
The series spans the globe and uses high-tech drones and cameras, which Gregory calls “game changers” in wildlife filmmaking. This technique allows filmmakers to not only glimpse an animal’s external life, but also a glimpse into its inner workings.
“We also used military thermal imaging cameras to photograph elephants at night deep in the jungles of the Central African Republic. This uses heat to ‘see’ in the dark, and the elephants’ ears are It looks incredibly beautiful as all your veins are visible. ” says Gregory.
The series also explores how hard it is for land animals like mountain lions in Patagonia and marine mammals like Antarctica’s orca whales to eat well, and how climate change continues to threaten vital food sources. I’m capturing it.
The characteristics of the episode are A group of Antarctic killer whales known as B1 Gregory says it was the warmest Antarctic trip he’s ever had. These orcas are known for their unique strategy of hunting seals resting on the ice, and some orca enthusiasts Killer whale hydroplaning near Argentina’s Valdes Peninsula They pushed their 8,000- to 16,000-pound bodies onto the shore to catch seals.
Instead of using waves, sand, and rocks like their Argentine cousins, these Antarctic killer whales work together as a team to create waves that push seals into the water.
“We witnessed and photographed the incredible intelligence and adaptability of a pod of killer whales. It is thought that only 100 of these unique orcas remain. “It was clear that they were having a hard time ‘washing’ the seals off the ice because there wasn’t much ice,” Gregory said.
[Related: Orcas are attacking boats. But is it revenge or trauma?]
In order to catch a single seal, the whales had to constantly adapt their strategies, sometimes at the risk of running away from their prey, to teach young whales strategies to pass on to the next generation.
These constant struggles are a somber reminder of the macro and micro ways our planet is changing, making life more difficult for nearly all living things. There are over 1 million plant and animal species. on the verge of extinction, the loss rate is 1,000 times larger than previously expected. At the end of 2022, the United Nations agreed to the Convention on Biological Diversity, pledging to protect 30 percent of Earth’s wild land and oceans by 2030. Currently, only about 17 percent of land and 10 percent of ocean are protected by law.
The same Indonesian location where Gregory and his team encountered Stingy swarm of jellyfish is the hometown of Misol Marine Reserve.Despite the constant challenges posed by climate change, the region Conservation success stories This is thanks to community-led efforts to protect the area from overfishing by enforcing specific areas where fishing is allowed.
“Mysuru is now one of the few places on Earth where biodiversity is increasing. What they have achieved is a blueprint for how we can protect the world’s oceans. “This could be proof that nature can make amazing comebacks if given the chance,” Gregory said. “This is good news for both wildlife and humans.”
“Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory” premieres September 13 on Disney+.
