Until relatively recently, lots of different massive mammals roamed across our planet. Mastodons, mammoths, giant elk, rhinoceros-sized marsupials, saber-toothed cats, marsupial lions, dire wolves, American cheetahs … the list goes on and on. Then modern humans spread throughout the world and the vast majority of those large species disappeared. Our planet’s large mammal biodiversity is a shade of what it once was.
Sadly, research we’ve carried out shows that the large mammal extinctions of the past 2.5 million years are continuing today—and smaller species are now also threatened.
Our new study, published in Science Advances, reviewed the threats, status, and ecosystem services provided by the 74 largest terrestrial herbivores (exceeding 100 kg or 220 pounds in body mass), and the conservation effort required to save them from extinction.
Our results are highly concerning. The vast majority of these large herbivores are declining in distribution and abundance, such that 60 percent are now threatened with extinction. These include well-known and iconic species such as elephants, hippos, all species of rhino, European bison, and Indian water buffalo, but also less well-known species such as takin, kouprey, mountain and lowland anoa, and tamaraw. The situation is likely to get worse and we risk leaving empty landscapes unless urgent and drastic action is undertaken.
