What will happen to the Wildlife of the Gulf?

The Gulf of Mexico is rich in marine wildlife. There's sea turtles, sharks, diverse fish, dolphins, whales, various birds, and many, many more. It's also the home of some of the most productive fisheries in the world that produce seafood like tuna, shellfish, shrimp, and crabs. I think we are all aware that these animals are currently being KILLED by the oil spill. They are much more unfortunate than us humans; they can't escape this disaster!

Here is a list of what will/has happened to animals caught in the oil spill.

~hypothermia in birds by reducing or destroying the insulation and waterproofing properties of their feathers
~hypothermia in fur seal pups by reducing or destroying the insulation of their woolly fur (called lanugo). Adult fur seals have blubber and would not suffer from hypothermia if oiled. Dolphins and whales do not have fur, so oil will not easily stick to them
~birds become easy prey, as their feathers being matted by oil make them less able to fly away
~marine mammals such as fur seals become easy prey if oil sticks their flippers to their bodies, making it hard for them to escape predators
~birds sink or drown because oiled feathers weigh more and their sticky feathers cannot trap enough air between them to keep them buoyant
~fur seal pups drown if oil sticks their flippers to their bodiesk birds lose body weight as their metabolism tries to combat low body temperature
~marine mammals lose body weight when they can not feed due to contamination of their environment by oil
~birds become dehydrated and can starve as they give up or reduce drinking, diving and swimming to look for food
~inflammation or infection in dugongs and difficulty eating due to oil sticking to the sensory hairs around their mouths
~disguise of scent that seal pups and mothers rely on to identify each other, leading to rejection, abandonment and starvation of seal pups
~and damage to the insides of animals and birds bodies, for example by causing ulcers or bleeding in their stomachs if they ingest the oil by accident.

~poisoning of wildlife higher up the food chain if they eat large amounts of other organisms that have taken oil into their tissues
~interference with breeding by making the animal too ill to breed, interfering with breeding behaviour such as a bird sitting on their eggs, or by reducing the number of eggs a bird will lay
~damage to the airways and lungs of marine mammals and turtles, congestion, pneumonia, emphysema and even death by breathing in droplets of oil, or oil fumes or gas
~damage to a marine mammal's or turtle's eyes, which can cause ulcers, conjunctivitis and blindness, making it difficult for them to find food, and sometimes causing starvation
~irritation or ulceration of skin, mouth or nasal cavities
~damage to and suppression of a marine mammal's immune system, sometimes causing secondary bacterial or fungal infections
~damage to red blood cells; organ damage and failure such as a bird or marine mammal's liver
~damage to a bird's adrenal tissue which interferes with a bird's ability to maintain blood pressure, and concentration of fluid in its body
~decrease in the thickness of egg shells
~stress
~damage to fish eggs, larvae and young fish
~contamination of beaches where turtles breed causing contamination of eggs, adult turtles or newly hatched turtles
~damage to estuaries, coral reefs, seagrass and mangrove habitats which are the breeding areas of many fish and crustaceans, interfering with their
breeding
~tainting of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and algae; interference with a baleen whale's feeding system by tar-like oil, as this type of whale feeds by skimming the surface and filtering out the water
~and poisoning of young through the mother, as a dolphin calf can absorb oil through it's mothers milk.

www.amsa.gov.au...

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[edit on 6-7-2010 by nicolee123nd]

[edit on 6-7-2010 by nicolee123nd]

Worse, the Gulf is home to lots of endangered species. One of these includes the Kemp's ridley sea turtle. At 100 pounds and a shell 24-28 inches in length, these are the world's smallest marine turtles in the world. With a nesting count of 127 nests (as of 2007), the Kemp's ridleys are the world's most endangered sea turtles. The worst part is that the only place they nest are along the coasts of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, if they die out from the Gulf, they die out for good.But it's not only the Kemp's ridley that's in danger, its all animals of the Gulf.

But why should we care? As I already explained, the Gulf of Mexico is home to the world's most productive fisheries. Countless people who work here will go broke and become poor (which can already see). Also, people who enjoy seafood from the Gulf will see less on their plate.

Worst of all, biodiversity will be destroyed. This means that there will be few animals left because they have all either been killed or manage to be killed. The few animals that are left and are lucky enough to have a breeding population won't vary enough because they all had the same traits to help them survive. This means that even evolution over time can't bring back the diverse wildlife of the Gulf.

Wait! It gets worse. The oil will be spreading to the Mississippi and nearby estuaries. This means the death rate of animals killed by BP will be spreading more and more. Biodiversity will yet again be ruined.


So there you have it. Now you know what BP's causing beyond the effects on humans. It's not all about us, you know.

From James Fox new video of the toxicity in the water from corexit, the question isn't what will survive, but what is alive, if at all anything near Grand Isle in the water as of now? Are they still seeing dolphins swim about as of today? And fish? Or is there nothing now?