Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World

Feature:
Irreplaceable Wildlife in A Warming World
Graphic of irreplacable species, emperor penguin.
We are connected to each other, to our environment. From faraway places to our own backyard. But climate change is now changing the Earth as we know it, and animals and plants from the Arctic to the Everglades are feeling the consequences.
Key Resources:

Northern Bluefin Tuna

Reaching more than six feet long and weighing up to 1,500 pounds, the giant northern bluefin tuna has the unique ability among fish to regulate its body temperature.
Photo Credit:
Brian Skerry / National Geographic / ILCP (Part of Irreplaceable Wildlife Photo Exhibit)
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Northern Bluefin Tuna

Scientific Name: 
Thunnus thynnus
IUCN Red List: 
Data Deficient
Endangered Species Act List: 
No data

With a maximum length of 14 feet and weighing up to 1,500 pounds, the giant northern bluefin tuna is one of the top predators of the ocean. It can swim up to 50 miles per hour when pursuing prey and has the unique ability among fish to regulate its body temperature. By conserving heat in cold waters, bluefin tuna can swim long distances between their feeding and spawning grounds—even migrating between North American and European waters several times a year!

Climate Change Impacts

As sardines, herring, and other prey move into different waters in response to global warming, the bluefin tuna will find it more difficult to build up the energy reserves needed to make the long journey to their spawn grounds. This stress factor comes at a time when the bluefin tuna is already severely threatened by overfishing. The Atlantic population has already plunged by nearly 90 percent since the 1970s from overfishing, and conservation groups have urged consumers to avoid eating the highly endangered fish.

Irreplaceable in Your Neighborhood

The Earthjustice traveling photo exhibit, Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World, is available to bring education, scholarship and research to your community. For more information on booking the exhibit, including fees, exhibit specifications, requirements and descriptions, please contact Nadine de Coteau at 1-800-584-6460.