Rational, scientists? Nay! The proof is provided by an Australian study published on March 6 by the Mammal Review. And it’s not pretty, pretty: animals considered ugly by humans would be more threatened with extinction than others, because they are less studied by scientists.
Trish Fleming and Phil Bateman, the authors of the study, classified, explains The world, “331 Australian land mammals (…) in three categories: the beautiful (good), the wicked (bad) and the ugly (ugly).” They then counted, according to the online magazine The Conversation, the number of mentions devoted to the different species of mammals in specialized scientific journals.
And the result is final. Kangaroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils and opossums, which make up half of Australia’s mammals, are mentioned in three-quarters of studies, again according to The Conversation. Conversely, point out The world, “the group of ugly animals (bats, rodents) is the one that brings together the least studies”.
And this discrimination would have disastrous consequences for these species: “14 of the 30 mammals extinct in Australia since 1788, for example, are rodents. And even if they are not very photogenic, these animals are necessary” for the ecosystem, underlines The world. However, it is difficult to improve the chances of survival of species on which we have little data.
Australia, which is nevertheless a rich country, is among the 40 states spending the least money on preserving species, notes The Conversation. And the review thinks that it would be high time to launch an association to preserve ugly animals, as it already exists in the United Kingdom.