Along with a changing environment inevitably comes a changing set of animals.
For some, climate change is forcing them to adapt and find new habitats to live in. But for others, their changing environments are seriously threatening their existence.
In a series of images from theNovember issue of National Geographic magazine, photographer Joel Sartore captured the animals are in the best and worst shape to surviveclimate change.
Loser: Arctic Fox. This furry creature does best in the coldest of winters. With their Arctic tundra habitat melting, the Arctic foxes will have less of a shot at finding food for their pups.
Winner: American Bullfrog. These amphibians are doing a great job at being an invasive species. The bullfrog has made its way onto other continents, so the threat of climate change may come more as a boost than a hindrance.
Loser: White-Fronted Lemur. National Geographic reports that these lemurs in Madagascar will lose 60% of their habitat in the next 70 years. But, the biggest problem will be the pressure of a growing human population and its ever-more-intensive farming practices.
Winner: Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat. These rodents are resistant to the heat. They're mainly found in the Southwest US, where they're good at handling desert-like conditions and temperature spikes.
Loser: Spectacled Eider. During the winter, ducks get their food — clams and other marine invertebrates — from the Bering Sea. But as ice melts, they're growing more and more isolated from that region.
Loser: Chinstrap Penguin. At first, the melting ice in Antarctica made for a great icy water habitat for the penguins. But the increased UV light is starting to backfire and kill off algae and the krill which feed off of it and are currently penguins' main food source.
Loser: Bengal Tiger. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that there are more than 2,500 of these cats left in the wild. But their main habitat in Bangladesh is slowly starting to fill up with water, forcing the tigers to higher ground.
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