英語(yǔ)翻譯
American pikasor rock rabbits,a relative of rabbits and hares,might be the first of thesespecies to go extinct due to climate change.About 7-8 inches long,pikas livehigh in the cool,damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains.As globaltemperatures rise,they would naturally migrate (遷移) to higher ground -- but they already occupy the mountaintops.Theycan't go any higher.The NationalWildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperaturesas their habitat heats up.
The volcanorabbit has the same problem.These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes inMexico,and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat hasalready shifted upward about 700 meters,but there are not suitable plants forthem to move higher,so they are stuck in the middle.Scientists are concernedabout their populations.
Native to the US,pygmy rabbits weigh lessthan 1 pound and live in the American West.They are believed to be thesmallest rabbits in the world.Their habitats have been destroyed bydevelopment.Several populations,such as the Columbia Basin pygmy,almost wentextinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs.Pygmy rabbits also rely onwinter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators,butlesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of thisgives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
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