Just a few weeks ago, the polar bear was identified as a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. As the ice in the bear's Arctic habitat melts due to global warming, many of these furry beasts will drown or starve to death. Other ice dwellers, like the walrus, will also struggle to survive as the planet heats up.
And it's not just the big animals that will suffer—even tiny mammals like the American pika and marine life like the Atlantic lobster face a bleak future.
These and other photos are the subject of a new traveling exhibit called "Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World" that has stops in cities nationwide through April 2009. The organizers hope to raise awareness for all threatened creatures—the well-recognized as well as the overlooked. Visit www.irreplaceablewild.org for more information about the show’s schedule and the campaign, and also for online photos of the Ozark zigzag salamander and other at-risk species.
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