Scienceblogtwo

According to new research from the University of Bristol Vet School, Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Save the Rhino Trust, there are no statistically significant differences in the breeding, birth, survival, life span, and death rates between horned and dehorned black rhinos. The poaching of black rhinos is just one of the many risks to the survival of this critically endangered animal. In an effort to prevent poaching, many reserves throughout several African nations, including Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, now dehorn their rhinos. However, few research have examined the effects of dehorning, particularly in black rhinos. The goal of the study was to add to the body of knowledge regarding the productivity of populations of horned and hornless black rhinoceros (of the subspecies Diceros bicornis bicornis) in four subpopulations in Namibia. One of the populations had never been dehorned, whereas three of the populations had undergone some kind of dehor...

The long-term implications of declining land mammals on food webs are now best understood according to a new study that was published in the journal Science. It's a hideous sight. "We estimate that more than 50% of mammal food web links have perished in that time, but only approximately 6% of terrestrial mammals have gone extinct," said ecologist Evan Fricke, the study's primary author. "And the complexity of the mammal food web depends on the mammals that are most likely to decline, both historically and currently." All the relationships between predators and their prey in a specific area are known as a food web. Complex food webs are necessary for population control in a way that permits more species to coexist, hence enhancing ecosystem diversity and stability. However, animal extinctions might lessen this complexity, which would make an ecosystem less resilient. Illustration showing every mammal species that, if not for range contractions and extinctions...