megafauna

Definition

Large or giant animals of a particular region or time period, often used specifically in reference to species that are highly vulnerable to environmental change.

Etymology

The word combines the Greek 'megas' (great or large) with the New Latin 'fauna' (the animals of a given region or period).

In the news

The article uses the term to highlight how conservationists must act to protect large, modern-day wildlife before they reach a point of critical decline where inbreeding becomes inevitable.

Saber-toothed cats' spinal tumors may show how inbred species struggled to survive

Frontiers

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