▁become ▁fragment ed , ▁alter ed , ▁or ▁destroyed . ▁Lar ge ▁m amm als ▁are ▁often ▁more ▁vulner able ▁to ▁ext inction ▁than ▁smaller ▁animals ▁because ▁they ▁require ▁larger ▁home ▁ranges ▁and ▁thus ▁are ▁more ▁pr one ▁to ▁suffer ▁the ▁effects ▁of ▁def or est ation . ▁Lar ge ▁species ▁such ▁as ▁ele ph ants , ▁r hin oc eros es , ▁large ▁prim ates , ▁tap irs ▁and ▁pe cc aries ▁are ▁the ▁first ▁animals ▁to ▁disappear ▁in ▁fragment ed ▁rain for ests . ▁ ▁A ▁case ▁study ▁from ▁Amazon ian ▁E cuador ▁analyz ed ▁two ▁oil - road ▁management ▁approaches ▁and ▁their ▁effects ▁on ▁the ▁surrounding ▁wild life ▁communities . ▁The ▁free - access ▁road ▁had ▁for ests ▁that ▁were ▁cleared ▁and ▁fragment ed ▁and ▁the ▁other ▁had ▁enfor ced ▁access ▁control . ▁Fe wer ▁species ▁were ▁found ▁along ▁the ▁first ▁road ▁with ▁density ▁estimates ▁being ▁almost ▁ 8 0 % ▁lower ▁than ▁at ▁the ▁second ▁site ▁that ▁which ▁had ▁minimal ▁disturb ance . ▁This ▁finding ▁suggests ▁that ▁dist urban ces ▁affected ▁the ▁local ▁animals ' ▁willing ness ▁and ▁ability ▁to ▁travel ▁between ▁patch es . ▁ ▁Fragment ation ▁low ers ▁populations ▁while ▁increasing ▁ext inction ▁risk ▁when ▁the ▁remaining ▁habitat ▁size ▁is ▁small . ▁When ▁there ▁is ▁more ▁un fragment ed ▁land , ▁there ▁is ▁more ▁habitat ▁for ▁more ▁diverse ▁species . ▁A ▁larger ▁land ▁patch ▁also ▁means ▁it ▁can ▁accommod ate ▁more ▁species ▁with ▁larger ▁home ▁ranges . ▁ ▁However , ▁when ▁patch ▁size ▁decre ases , ▁there