If climate change continues, how long do you think it will take for animals in the polar regions to adapt to the

Question: If climate change continues, how long do you think it will take for animals in the polar regions to adapt to the temperature?
- Keywords:
  animal,
  climate,
  environment,
  evolution,
  future,
  polar,
  temperature
Asked by georginawhoisawesome to Anouk, Chris, Judith, Leisha, Seyyed on 15 Jun 2012.
- Judith Sleeman answered on 15 Jun 2012:
  
  Maybe it’s more a question of whether they will manage it at all? It’s certainly a race against time for them to adapt rather than die as the speed of evolution is pretty slow. Can I recommend a radio programme to you to answer your question properly?
  
  Jim al-Khalili’s ‘The Life Scientific’ where he interviewed Lloyd Peck from the British Antarctic Survey. Hopefully this link will work, if not, you’ll find it on the radio 4 website ‘listen again’ thing.
  
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hw7yy
- Chris Kettle answered on 19 Jun 2012:
  
  I don’t think life will adapt that quickly and they’ll ie out. Youll only see polar bears and pug is in the zoos in 20 years time!

Question: If climate change continues, how long do you think it will take for animals in the polar regions to adapt to the temperature?