Scientists Say 60% of Our Beloved Herbivores Face Extinction
Science Advances published a brand new study that is being described as “horribly bleak,” for our rhinos, camels, and elephants: It finds that the majority of the planet’s giant herbivores face the risk of extinction.
The wildlife ecologists write that while about 4,000 species qualify as a “terrestrial mammalian herbivore,” they zeroed in on just 74 such species whose mean adult body mass is 220 pounds.
It’s the “first time” just those large species have been viewed collectively, says study leader William Ripple of Oregon State University; per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 44 of them, or about 60%, are threatened with extinction.
The researchers identified “twin threats” such as habitat change—25 of the 74 have lost 81% of their historical range—and hunting, with an estimated 1 billion people consuming wild meat.
Their loss could have a dire ripple effect, the scientists explain: “Large herbivores are irreplaceable as seed dispersers,” they write, “able to … deliver many more seeds per defecation event over longer distances” as compared to other animals. It’s one of many things they impact, from the frequency of wildfires to the creation of new channel systems in swamps.
Ripple previously looked at large carnivores through the same lens and found similar issues, and he tells the BBC his latest study “adds another nail to [the carnivores’] coffin. It’s no use having habitat if there’s nothing left to eat in it.”
A press release notes that of the species reviewed, just one—the European bison—is found on the continent of the same name, and none in North America, thanks in part to “prehistoric hunting.” Southeast Asia, India, and Africa are home to the bulk of the threatened giant herbivores.
In the meantime Asian and African elephants could disappear entirely from the North American continent as zoos let their animals die out. Giraffes as well could be facing extinction within the next decade or two.
About Post Author
Professor Mike
More Stories
What in the World Happened to the Ginger Kitten?
The abrupt sound of multiple barks pierced the stillness of the night. It was an unsettling deviation from their customary...
Warning: Be Careful When Walking Your Dog In Alligator Country
Mike McCoy has read up a bit on alligator attacks and he knew what to do if you find yourself in one—and good thing too.
MadMikesAmerica To Remain Open For Business
We are staying open. MMA may not be as active as it once was, but why close this one, with all those articles still available to read, and maybe more to come?
Fox News Guest: Ghoulish Trump Has Blood On His Hands
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) told Fox News on Sunday that former President Donald Trump is guilty of a “ghoulish” attempt to undermine the economy by downplaying the need for Covid-19 vaccinations.
Disgusting Ted Cruz Forgets History of Conservatives Like Elvis Promoting Vaccines
Recently, the beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird went on television and social media to promote COVID-19 vaccines. For anyone who has been conscious for at least a few years, celebrities—especially ones with larger fanbases amongst the youth of the country—promoting public health initiatives is not surprising. It has been going on forever and ever.
Crazy Louie Gohmert: Climate Action Would Force Us To Brush Our Teeth With Bark
[caption id="attachment_187456" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Getty images[/caption] by Aldous J. Pennyfarthing How the hell did Republican Louie Gohmert of Texas ever become...
My father contends that we’re trying to control evolution. I contend that some of us are trying, not to control evolution, but to save our planet! We have been trying so hard to save some of these giant herbivores, and shortsighted is an inadequate description for those who continue to make this not just a challenge, but a virtual impossibility. Sigh. But we will continue to fight!
This, I suspect, is a sad fact of evolution. We will be in it one of these days, and might well be now, as climate change marches on.