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The Art of Animal Adaptation

The Art of Animal Adaptation

4 years ago
Anonymous $9CO2RSACsf

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-art-of-animal-adaptation/

Given the changes in our climate and the growth of the human population, animals are increasingly being forced to adapt to human behavior in unexpected ways. Whether it’s crocodiles using pool noodles as flotation devices, coyotes becoming more nocturnal to avoid people or a huddle of walruses sinking a research vessel that invaded their territory, animals are figuring out how to navigate the world we have created. I’ve created an artist’s book, the Field Guide to Animal Adaptation, which identifies and illustrates 16 examples of this phenomenon, providing both hope and despair for the coexistence of people and animals in the future. I’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the printing of a limited edition.

The idea for this book started when I stumbled across an article about mountain goats in Olympic National Park being airlifted to a less populated area because they had become addicted to hikers’ urine. The goats threatened park visitors in their quest for that precious salty liquid. It seemed both ridiculous and tragic to me that the National Park Service thought that spending several millions of dollars to relocate these animals would be more successful than expecting people not to pee in the woods. I found more absurd and sad examples of these human-animal interactions, and so the idea for this field guide was born.