Nature & Environment

Animals will likely 'downsize' in the future

By T.K. Randall
June 17, 2019

Image: African Bush Elephants
Credit: Gorgo / (PD) There is little doubt that many of the world's largest creatures are at risk of being wiped out, mostly due to the effects of global warming and the ever-growing encroachment of human civilization.

Now in a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists have put forward the theory that animals such as giraffes, elephants, rhinos, gorillas and hippos will soon go extinct and be replaced by smaller insect-eating animals with shorter lifespans.

Birds could also suffer the same fate, with eagles disappearing and small songbirds taking their place.

The less adaptable a species, the more likely it is to disappear."By far the biggest threat to birds and animals is humankind - with habitats being destroyed due to our impact on our planet," said study lead author Rob Cooke from the University of Southampton.

While the outlook might look grim however, there is still time for us to do something about it.

"These extinctions haven't happened yet," said Cooke.

"They can still be stopped. It's not a done deal."

Source: NBS News

Tags: Climate Change