Biggest and smallest creatures risk extinction

MIAMI: Animals on both the large and small side of the spectrum face the most risk of extinction - but for very different reasons, each with vast consequences for the planet, researchers said on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

For big creatures - including whale sharks, Atlantic sturgeon, Somali ostriches, Chinese giant salamanders and Komodo dragons - people are the top threat to their survival, said the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.