Many animal 'geomorphs' under threat

More than a quarter of our planet's natural "geomorphs" - animals such as beavers and hippos that, collectively, can reshape entire landscapes - are threatened or have shrinking populations, a new study says.

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The research, by Queen Mary University of London, found the scale of the impact these animals had on habitats - by building dams, trampling new river courses, excavating earth and other activities - rivals that caused by major floods.

Yet "more than a quarter (28%) of zoogeomorphic species are vulnerable to future population decline or regional or global extinction", the study's authors warned.

Their research, published in mid-February, identified more than 600 species of land and freshwater animals that worked to redesign their ecosystems.