The article “Cities are brimming with wildlife worth studying” by Kate Baggaley, brings attention to the issue of urban ecology. Although the world is urbanizing at a rapid pace, many ecologists still believe the best way study wildlife is to go into rural areas and study their behavior. This will not be case for long as wildlife are beginning to migrate to more urban areas. The closer these animals get to humans, the more they will have a direct impact on our everyday lives. Ecologist may be able to learn more about wildlife by looking at these “urban” animals. Because studying wildlife in urbans can help ecologists learn about rapid adaptation, learn about animal behavior, and educate people about the animals living in their area. I believe …show more content…
Since the beginning of time, animals have been forced to adapt to the ever-changing planet to survive. But, it may take several years for ecologists to find these adaptations that allow the animal to survive. This is because the landscape of their environment changes at a gradual pace. This is not the case in urban areas. Urban areas are constantly changing with new buildings, streets, and sidewalks being built every day. This is forcing animals to adapt to their environment faster than they ever would in the wild. The wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains around Los Angeles, California are the perfect example of rapid adaptation. In the article “How Wild Animals Are Hacking Life in the City” by Christine Dell’Amore, she says that Seth Riley has been researching wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains. He observed that mountain lions, willingly limit themselves to 25 square miles (64 square kilometers) instead of their staggeringly large range of around 370 square miles (960 square kilometers) in the wilderness (Dell’Amore 1). Seth Riley says, "In many ways it’s surprising how adaptable all three species have been” (Dell’Amore 1). The size difference of their new environment was something they were not use to. This adaptation was rapid,