Corey S PowellOct 30

Fascinating graph shows the estimated total mass of all the mammals living on Earth.

In 1850, it was evenly divided between wildlife and humans + domesticated animals. Today, humans and their livestock account for about 95% of the total.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63888-z #science #nature #animals

Show threadJorge CandeiasOct 30
@coreyspowell Livestock and pets, really, although the vast majority of that biomass should indeed be livestock.
Show threadCorey S PowellOct 30

@jorgecandeias

Good point. I wasn't thinking about pets. I wonder what fraction they are -- probably small but not negligible.

Show threadJorge Candeias
@coreyspowell I couldn't even guesstimate, but I would agree. In sheer numbers, pets would probably be more abundant than livestock, but as they're typically smaller animals (there aren't that many pet elephants out there, after all) their mass wouldn't contribute much to the total, I suppose.
Oct 30 at 2:09pmWeb