Why Did Some Animals Survive Chernobyl?

Written by Ljiljana Grudenic

Why did some animals survive Chernobyl? The explosion in Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl, Russia nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, has killed over 20 people. The disaster has left long term effects to the environment: The total amount of radioactive material eventually released was hundreds of times higher than seen in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Many years later Scientists examined the area today:

1. Trees turned rust color.

2. Some vegetation survived.

3. Experiment without humans on earth. Numerous animals and plant species survived:

4. Bears, wolves, lynx, bison, deer, moose, beavers, foxes, badgers, wild boar, and raccoon dogs are just some of the species survived.

5. A variety of amphibians, fish, worms, and bacteria lived.

6. Bird, cicada, and butterfly populations decreased, while other animal populations were not affected.

"According to a 2011 study in Biological Conservation, Chernobyl-caused genetic mutations in plants and animals increased by a factor of 20. Among breeding birds in the region, rare species suffered disproportional effects from the explosion’s radiation compared to common species. Further research is needed to understand how the increased mutations affect species’ reproductive rates, population size, genetic diversity, and other survival factors."

By studying this area, humanity can begin to understand radiation spread and the long term environmental factors. It allows a better awareness on other planets with radiation and how we can deal with that ecosystem. This area zone also informs us the chemistry evolution process on nature, radiation, living organisms and the adaptation process.