To understand where climate change is heading, we have to look at the planet’s distant past and appreciate the disturbing uniqueness of our situation, says Bill McGuire
Humans are the most adaptable species in the history of the planet. Humans will survive, but it will be at MUCH lower numbers. And it won’t be people in bunkers.
sponges and cnidarians beat them to it, 500-600million years. and jellyfish have been exploding in numbers all over due to temperature rises, generally more tolerant to pollution than fishes, and lack of too many predators.
Those aren’t quite as specified as horseshoe crabs though (which are a taxonomic family, just above genus and species respectively). Sponges and jellyfish are both much more varied and encompass more than one class.
Similarly I can say that Reptiles beat horseshoe crabs since they’ve been around at least ~50 million years longer than the latter, but that wouldn’t really be a fair comparison because they encompass far more species than just horseshoe crabs. Regarding lasting a long time evolutionarily while staying relatively undiversified, horseshoe crabs are still uniquely notable. They aren’t called living fossils for nothing.
Humans tend to believe we are unbeatable. In reality, in 100, 200 years we may have disappeared completely. This has happened to many other species.
Humans are the most adaptable species in the history of the planet. Humans will survive, but it will be at MUCH lower numbers. And it won’t be people in bunkers.
I’d say horseshoe crabs still beat us in terms of adaptability, they’ve been around since the Triassic (>250 million years ago).
sponges and cnidarians beat them to it, 500-600million years. and jellyfish have been exploding in numbers all over due to temperature rises, generally more tolerant to pollution than fishes, and lack of too many predators.
Those aren’t quite as specified as horseshoe crabs though (which are a taxonomic family, just above genus and species respectively). Sponges and jellyfish are both much more varied and encompass more than one class.
Similarly I can say that Reptiles beat horseshoe crabs since they’ve been around at least ~50 million years longer than the latter, but that wouldn’t really be a fair comparison because they encompass far more species than just horseshoe crabs. Regarding lasting a long time evolutionarily while staying relatively undiversified, horseshoe crabs are still uniquely notable. They aren’t called living fossils for nothing.
For now. They’re also farmed and used to an even older climate than we are. There’s really no good way to tell what will survive and what won’t.