Animals Ingesting Plastic: Understanding The Devastating Impact

Marine animals are suffering from the increasing amount of plastic in the world's oceans. Scientists estimate that 60% of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic, with that number predicted to increase to 99% by 2050. Marine mammals, such as sea turtles, seals and whales, are also known to ingest plastic, which can be difficult to see and cause starvation.

Plastic ingestion is a direct and deadly cause of wildlife death

Plastic takes up room in the stomachs of seabirds, sometimes causing starvation. Scientists have found many seabirds dead with their stomachs full of plastic waste.

Marine mammals, such as seals, also ingest plastic. Research has confirmed that all seven species of sea turtles have eaten plastic debris, as well as an estimated one-third of all seabird species.

At current rates, plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.

60% of seabird species have eaten plastic, with this number predicted to increase to 99% by 2050

It is estimated that 60% of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic, with that number predicted to increase to 99% by 2050. This is due to the amount of plastic in our oceans increasing rapidly in the past 40 years. Dead seabirds are often found with their stomachs full of plastic, which takes up room and causes starvation.

Plastic pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in it. Research has confirmed that all seven species of sea turtles have eaten debris, as well as an estimated one-third of all seabird species.

In a study published in 2015, researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia and Imperial College London analysed studies dating back to the early 1960s and used oceanographic and ecological modelling to predict the risk of plastic ingestion to 186 seabird species globally. They found that nearly 60% of all seabird species have plastic in their gut, and that figure will rise to 99% by 2050, based on current trends.

An analysis of data published in studies from 1962 to 2012 shows that 59% of the seabird species studied had been found to ingest plastic. Trends in this data show an average increase of 1.7% a year in the proportion of individuals studied that had ingested plastic. Using this data, researchers created a computer model to determine areas of risk for seabird species worldwide.

Marine mammals are also known to eat plastic, ranging from microplastics to plastic sheets and bags

Marine mammals are harder to study because of laws protecting these species, but thousands of seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in it.

It is difficult to see the damage plastic does to animals' bodies

Plastic pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in it. The amount of garbage in our oceans has rapidly increased in the past 40 years, and at current rates, plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.

Sea turtles have also eaten plastic, with all seven species confirmed to have ingested debris

Sea turtles are not the only marine animals to be affected by plastic pollution. Marine mammals, such as seals, are also known to ingest plastic, as well as getting tangled up in it. This has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife, with thousands of marine animals killed each year.

The amount of plastic in the ocean has rapidly increased in the past 40 years, and at current rates, it is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050. This is a huge problem for marine life, as plastic can be difficult to see once it has been ingested, making it hard to know the damage it is doing to their bodies.

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