Send to a Friend

Your First Name: Your Last Name:   Your Email:   Your Friend's Email:

Your Personal Message:

Yes, I would like to receive National Wildlife Federation emails.

Your message has been sent

Thank you for sharing this page with your friends!

Hurricanes and Wildlife

• Orchids -  They use the strong winds to spread their seeds.
• Gopher frogs and spadefoot toads - They use the heavy rainfall to breed.
• Raccoons - Since they are scavengers, they find new food sources in the turmoil after a hurricane.
• Black bears and ground birds - They can benefit from increased ground shelter created by downed trees and brush.

Wildlife that Loses:

• Wildlife refuges - Buildings and habitat reconstruction efforts can take a beating from hurricanes.
• Endangered species - Any animal that is on the brink of extinction due to human causes can go over the brink when a hurricane strikes their habitat.
• Migrating birds - Birds are blown off course to new habitats. Sometimes younger or weaker birds are separated from their flock. Some take weeks to return assuming they can find a food source in their new habitat.
• Coral reefs - Rainfall washes sediment and pollutants on to coral reefs, blocking out sunlight and causing algae to grow.
• Squirrels - Animal rescuers get a big influx of baby squirrels tossed from their nests because squirrels are often at their most vulnerable during hurricane season. Also squirrels' food source of nuts can be wiped out.
• Sea turtles - Their nests can be washed out to sea from beaches, and volunteers must scramble to save hatchlings before that happens.
• Fish - Electrical lines falling into water can electrocute fish. Heavy rainfall can cause sudden drops of oxygen in water. Flooding can wash sediment or larger items into streams, destroying habitat.
• Scrub jays - They depend on leafy trees to hide from predators and strong winds defoliate trees.
• Beach mice - Their dune habitats are destroyed.
• Deer - At first the deer can find food that has been blown down by the winds, but this rots and in some cases, there is not enough food left for later in the season.
• Red-cockaded woodpeckers - Since they need such specific nesting sites, the loss of any nest cavity trees can have a big impact.
• Mussels and oysters - Since they are immobile, they cannot move away from a hurricane and are sometimes blown to habitats where they cannot survive.
• Marine mammals - While many can seek shelter in open water or in nearshore shelter, some dolphins and manatees have been blown ashore.

Wildlife that Sometimes Wins, Sometimes Loses:

• Burrowing owls - They can use their burrows to protect themselves, but sometimes the burrows get blocked by debris so they cannot exit, or the burrows are flooded by heavy rains.
• Native plants - Many native plants are adapted better to hurricanes than non-native plants. Native plants can get a boost when non-natives are damaged by hurricanes, but they can also suffer if the seeds of non-native plants are spread by hurricane winds over new areas.
• Snakes - Some can burrow and get through the hurricane easily. Other times, their burrows become flooded, or pet non-native snakes get released during the storm and compete for food.