A study from Oregon State University paints a bleak picture for the future. Led by ecologist William Ripple, the study predicts that the world's ecosystems will be irreparably harmed by the quickly declining number of herbivores across the globe. "Without radical intervention, large herbivores (and many smaller ones) will continue to disappear from numerous regions with enormous ecological, social, and economic costs," the study reads.

Among the consequences of decreased herbivore populations? Diminished seed dispersal, frequent wildfires, slower cycling of nutrients between plants and the soil and a dramatic reduction in the amount of food available for carnivores.