Mountain hares, which live in the Highlands of Scotland, are also adapted to Britain’s seasons, moulting their usual brown coats in October for white fur designed to blend in with the usual snowy environment.
But annual snow cover in the Highlands has declined by 37 days on average between 1960 and 2016, leaving them vulnerable to predators including eagles, as they stand out against a dark background.
Bumblebees have struggled in warmer areas such as Spain and Mexico, but even in the UK some species have been in decline. The great yellow bumblebee, which used to be widespread across the country, is now restricted to some parts of the Highlands and islands of Scotland.
The WWF said even Britain’s cool climate could also become difficult for bumblebees, which have adapted their fuzzy exterior to be able to survive cool conditions.
The Atlantic Puffin, which spends most of its time at sea and often nests in Britain, also faces challenges from climate change as severe storms and changeable weather disrupt its nesting sites. Rising sea temperatures also disrupt its food sources, as crustaceans lower down the food chain hatch at the wrong time for sandeel fish to eat, limiting a key food source for the birds.
“This results in fewer sandeels for the puffins to feed their young, causing the failure of entire colonies,” the report says.
Current pledges made by countries to limit their emissions are likely to lead to a global temperature rise of 2.4C – well beyond either the higher or lower limits in the Paris Agreement, according to a report from Climate Action Tracker last month.
Mike Barrett, the executive director of science and conservation at WWF, said: “Nature is our life support system, and its continued destruction is not only devastating local wildlife and communities, but creating a hotter, less stable planet, putting our very survival at risk.
“This isn’t a far-off threat – the impacts of climate change are already being felt, and if we don’t act now to keep global warming to 1.5C we will slide faster and faster towards catastrophe.
“While a half-degree increase beyond this may not sound significant, it will permanently damage a variety of natural ecosystems, leading to the extinction of even more species across the globe and risking the lives of millions more people worldwide.”