When you hear the word “shape-shifting (变形的)”, you may think of sci-fi movies, and not the climate (气候). But that’s what animals are doing to deal with climate change.

A new study shows that some animals are gradually growing larger beaks (喙) legs and ears. In this way, they can lose heat more easily to cool themselves down as the earth gets warmer.

“When we talk about climate change, we ask ‘Can humans overcome this?’ or ‘What technology can solve this?’. But we should know that animals also have to adapt to (适应) climate change,” said the study’s researcher, Sara Ryding, from Deakin University, Australia. If animals fail to control their body temperature, they can overheat and die.

In one example, the beaks of some Australian parrot species (鹦鹉物种) have grown 4 to 10 percent larger since 1871. The study says it is closely related (相关的) to rising summer temperatures over the years. Similar examples include wood mice. They have longer tails. Masked shrews (中鼩鼱) are getting longer tails and legs, and bats in warm climates have bigger wings.

Although the changes are still small, Ryding said they could be clearer as the days become hotter. “Body parts like ears are predicted (预测) to be bigger, so we might end up with a live-action Dumbo (a big eared elephant from a Disney cartoon) in the near future,” Ryding said.

Although animals are changing their body shapes, scientists warn that it doesn’t mean everything is fine. It just means they are trying hard to live. Not all animals will succeed. “The climate change that we have created is bringing a whole lot of pressure to bear on them, and while some animals will adapt, others will not,” said Ryding.

Elephants’ long ivories make them look strong. But their beautiful ivories bring them bad luck. People kill elephants for their ivories. Do you ever have your teeth pulled out? It’s very painful (痛的). It’s even more painful for an elephant to lose their ivories.

Elephants use their ivories to fight, cut things, dig (挖) for water. But humans use the ivories to make things they want. In fact, humans don’t really need the ivories. Only the elephants need them.

Do you know Sudan? He was the world’s last male (雄性的) northern white rhino. But he died in March 2018. Now there are only two northern white rhinos in the world. They are Sudan’s daughter and granddaughter. Both of them are female (雌性的). There is no new northern white rhinos now.

About 60 years ago, there were more than 2,000 northern white rhinos in Africa. But the number dropped (下降) very quickly. People killed the rhinos for their horns (角). Then they sold the horns for money.

Animals are our friends, so let’s stop killing them.