Reindeer are eating seaweed to survive climate change, scientists say

As the planet warms due to climate change, the Arctic winters are seeing longer open water spells and less sea ice. It also now rains more often than snow during this period, something that is directly affecting wildlife like the Svalbard reindeer.

Named after the group of Norwegian islands they’ve lived on for 5,000 years, these 20,000–plus reindeer are now eating seaweed to survive the increasingly warm winters. According to researchers, the reindeer are turning to seaweed because the plants they normally eat are becoming harder to get to. Read more.