Oceans are vital to our planet, and yet as climate change worsens, the effects of such are proving to have devastating consequences on species that rely on its waters for survival.
Warming temperatures, melting ice sheets, and rising sea levels are disrupting some of the world’s most important ocean habitats and ecosystems, forcing many animals to migrate in search of colder climates and necessary food resources.
RELATED: U.S. to Ban Captivity of Some Beluga Whales
If global warming continues at its current rate, threatened species could be facing mass extinction in years to come, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In areas where changes in climate are occurring too fast for species to adapt, greater losses are more likely to occur.
Here are six marine animals that could disappear as a result of climate change.