Risk of extinction of large and small species

The largest and smallest species are at greatest risk of extinction and this will have serious consequences for the Earth's ecosystem.

That is the research result published by US scientists in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences of the US on September 18.

According to the study, for large animals such as whale sharks, Atlantic sturgeon, Somalia ostrich, Komodo dragon, giant Chinese salamander ., humans are the top threat to their survival. Large vertebrate animals are often hunted, trapped, poached, or killed by humans to serve pleasures.

The stranded whale on the beach of Punta Bufeo in Baja California.(Photo: EPA / VNA).

The author of the study, Ecology Professor at Oregon State University, William Ripple said many larger animals have been slaughtered and consumed by humans, while their harvest activities are people threaten the lives of about 90% of animals that weigh less than 1kg.

The threat to the smallest animals weighing less than 77 grams is still high, mainly because their habitat is suppressed. Research shows that some of the most vulnerable small animals include Clarke green frogs, gray geckos, upturned bat bats and fish that swim upstream in the cave.

The disappearance of large and small animals can affect the entire ecosystem. If this situation does not change, human activities will "erase" the large and small species in a way "basically rearranging the life structure on Earth". Researchers believe that understanding of endangered species will support activities to conserve species.

The study was based on an analysis of more than 27,000 vertebrate species according to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.