Wildlife

Climate change is driving monkeys and lemurs from trees to the ground

The stresses of warming temperatures and forest losses are driving dozens of species of monkeys and lemurs that normally shelter and feed high in the tree canopy to spend more time foraging on the forest floor, according to a study published Monday.

More than 100 scientists who spent some 151,000 hours observing animals across Madagascar and Central and South America found that the primates are risking exposure to new predators to escape the heat and find food, though they still spend the vast majority of their time in trees.

Those species most inclined to adapt to spending time on the ground — whether because they have more diverse diets, live in the relative safety of large groups or are physiologically more capable of ambling on the forest floor — are most likely to descend from the trees, and thus may be more likely to survive into the future.

The findings demonstrate how human-caused climate change is forcing animals to adapt and disrupting the ecological web they inhabit. As global warming accelerates and deforestation and wildfires spread, those primates less advantaged for such a transition will be increasingly imperiled.