Effects of urban environments on animals

Introduction

Recent urban developments represent massive environmental changes. It was previously thought that only a few animals were suitable for city life, e.g.

●   the  – because of its general adaptability

●   the pigeon – because walls of city buildings are similar to 

In fact, many urban animals are adapting with unusual 

Recent research

●   Emilie Snell-Rood studied small urbanised mammal specimens from museums in Minnesota.

     –  She found the size of their  had increased.

     –  She suggests this may be due to the need to locate new sources of  and to deal with new dangers.

●   Catarina Miranda focused on the  of urban and rural blackbirds.

     –  She found urban birds were often braver, but were afraid of situations that were 

●   Jonathan Atwell studies how animals respond to urban environments.

     –  He found that some animals respond to  by producing lower levels of hormones.

●   Sarah Partan's team found urban squirrels use their  to help them communicate.

Long-term possibilities

Species of animals may develop which are unique to cities. However, some changes may not be  .