Charismatic megafauna

Charismatic megafauna are animal species that are large—in the relevant category that they represent^[1]—with symbolic value or widespread popular appeal, and are often used by environmental activists to gain public support for environmentalist goals.^[2] In this definition, animals such as penguins or bald eagles can be considered megafauna because they are among the largest animals within the local animal community, and they disproportionately affect their environment. The vast majority of charismatic megafauna species are threatened and endangered by overhunting, poaching, black market trade, climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species, and many more causes.^[3] In a 2018 study, the top twenty most popular charismatic megafauna were found to be (first to last): the tiger, lion, elephant, giraffe, leopard, giant panda, cheetah, polar bear, wolf, gorilla, chimpanzee, zebra, hippopotamus, great white shark, crocodile, dolphin, rhinoceros, brown bear, koala and blue whale.^[4]

^ Berti, Emilio; Monsarrat, Sophie; Munk, Michael; Jarvie, Scott; Svenning, Jens-Christian (2020-11-01). "Body size is a good proxy for vertebrate charisma". Biological Conservation. 251: 108790. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108790. ISSN 0006-3207. S2CID 224972270.
^ Ducarme, Frédéric; Luque, Gloria M.; Courchamp, Franck (2013). "What are "charismatic species" for conservation biologists ?" (PDF). BioSciences Master Reviews. 10: 1–8. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
^ Courchamp, F.; Jaric, I.; Albert, C.; Meinard, Y.; Ripple, W. J.; Chapron, G. (2018). "The paradoxical extinction of the most charismatic animals". PLOS Biology. 16 (4): e2003997. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2003997. PMC 5896884. PMID 29649205.
^ Albert, C; Luque, G. M.; Courchamp, F (2018). "The twenty most charismatic species". PLOS ONE. 13 (7): e0199149. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1399149A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0199149. PMC 6037359. PMID 29985962.