Add Australian koala bears to the list of animals threatened by global warming

(Photo of koala bear in Australia from Flickr and photographer Dey Alexander)

News Update: Koala bears, who totally depend on eucalyptus leaves for their diet, may become yet another victim of climate change, according to a professor at Australian National University. The leaves could become inedible, he said, as they absorb more CO2, which boosts tannins and makes the leaves leathery. At a minimum, they will be less nutritious. “Life will become extremely difficult” for these animals, professor Bill Foley warned. Increased CO2 also reduces nitrogen and other nutrients in the leaves, according to another researcher, Ivan Lawler, at James Cook University. And the poor little fellows already sleep 20 hours a day because of their low-protein diet. Some wallaby and possum species also have a diet heavy in eucalyptus. (PlanetArk and New Zealand Herald )