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The actual study says 480 million animals affected - not killed. Classic broken telephone - https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/476533-university-stud
by lunchbreak 7y ago
The actual study says 480 million animals affected - not killed. Classic broken telephone - https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/476533-university-study-as-many-as-480-million-animals-feared-affected-by https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/476533-univers...
"That's not to say that the 480 million have all died as a consequence of the fires because some things are going to be mobile — birds will fly away and come back," Dickman added.
"Some reptiles, like lizards, would perhaps go underground," he continued.
- gonzo41 7y agoThe firestorm is running around 800C and melting cars, so i think those affected animals are on their way out :(
- benologist 7y agoI think this illustrates the heat quite nicely - https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ej04lo/a_car_in_australia_whose_aluminum_rims_have_melted/ https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ej04lo/a_car_in_austr...
- cromulent 7y agoThey did also say "the true loss of animal life is likely to be much higher than 480 million" though. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/01/03/a-statement-about-the-480-million-animals-killed-in-nsw-bushfire.html https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/01/03/a-stateme...
- Sharlin 7y agoOn the other hand, if you were to count invertebrates, the death toll is likely to be in the billions.
- tus88 7y agoNo one will mourne the deaths of billions of blowflys.
- BurningFrog 7y agoI hate big numbers without context. You can just replace whatever number given with "a shocking amount", and get a more honest statement. A common one these days is "X tons of CO₂", which means absolutely nothing to 99% of people. If you want to inform, there are ways to put numbers in context. How many % of some relevant emissions are these tons of CO₂? 480 million animals out of how many total?
- inetknght 7y ago> birds will fly away and come back Ever seen a bird fly away from your location only to see the fire move faster than the bird? > Some reptiles, like lizards, would perhaps go underground How long's the ground on fire? What's the ambient temperature just half a meter below ground during a fire? How much oxygen is preserved and for how long? Those lizards are being cooked alive. Those that aren't will suffocate.