FLORIDA – Hurricanes can push species toward extinction, spread invasive animals and bury critical habitat — but they can also create breeding opportunities and boost some populations, a University of Florida review found.
Researchers reviewed more than 300 scholarly articles for a study published in Biological Reviews that examined how tropical cyclones — including hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones — affect animals around the world. The review found a wide range of responses: some species die in large numbers, some flee or hide in unexpected places, and some thrive after storms.
Recommended Videos
“Tropical cyclones impact wildlife, directly or indirectly, in a variety of ways, whether via survival, impacting reproduction or by other means,” said Hance Ellington, assistant professor in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. “While it’s not the norm, a really fascinating realization from this review is that some wildlife can actually benefit from hurricanes.”
The beneficial effects include heavy rainfall filling ponds that gopher frogs use for egg-laying and explosive breeding events for species such as the Eastern spadefoot, nicknamed the “hurricane toad.”
Blue-footed boobies have shown higher survival after storms, possibly because of increases in prey fish. In the Florida Keys, Key deer produced more fawns after Hurricane Georges in 1998, likely because new vegetation provided more food.
But storms can be devastating. The review cites cases of species driven to the brink, such as the Cozumel thrasher and the Miami blue butterfly — the latter now being helped by a breeding program at UF’s Florida Museum of Natural History.
Indirect damage includes saltwater flooding of freshwater habitats used by American alligators and burial of queen conches by sand and rubble.
Hurricanes also aid the spread of invasive species, complicating conservation. The review notes reports that Hurricane Andrew in 1992 released pythons from a facility in South Florida, and that storm debris has helped nonnative green iguanas reach tropical islands. Lionfish, already a problem in Florida, have spread to nearby regions after severe storms.
Animals respond in varied ways. Some flee to higher ground or deeper water; juvenile blacktip sharks, for example, evacuated shallow nursery bays ahead of storms, apparently sensing drops in barometric pressure. Birds sometimes get swept far from home: Hurricane Idalia in 2023 blew American flamingos from the Yucatán across at least 13 U.S. states. Other species seek shelter in unexpected places — some albatrosses have been recorded flying into the calmer eye of a cyclone.
The review also highlights evolutionary responses. On some Caribbean islands, anoles have developed larger toe pads over generations to better grip vegetation during storms, an adaptation that helps them survive hurricane-force winds.
Understanding these varied impacts can help wildlife managers and conservationists make better decisions as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, the authors say.