Bigger sea creatures are dying out faster than smaller ones — and it’s our fault

Unlike in every other mass die-off of animal species, these days bigger marine animals are more likely to die out than smaller species, a new study suggests. Why is that? People, probably.

We may be entering a sixth mass extinction

Over the course of Earth’s history, there have been five mass extinction events. The largest killed off nearly 90 percent of marine species on Earth about 250 million years ago — and the most well-known event wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But we may be entering a sixth mass extinction as as people fracture habitats, spread invasive species and diseases, hunt, poach, and drive global temperatures up.

No past extinction event has shown this trend toward large animal die-offs, according to a...