Before the appearance of man, a large number of herbivorous animals lived in the steppes. On the North American

Before the appearance of man, a large number of herbivorous animals lived in the steppes. On the North American prairies, 75 million bison grazed, 40 million pronghorn antelopes, not counting rodents. Eurasian grass shrubs ate tens of millions of tours, wild horses and kulans, 10 million saigas, 5 million gazelles, 20 million marmots, countless hordes of small rodents and large steppe birds: bustards and little bustards. Why did the overwhelming majority of these huge herds disappear from the face of the planet?

there is competition between humans and herbivores for land as a resource. Man destroyed the steppes and prairies, creating pastures for domestic animals and fields for crops. Steppe species, having lost their usual habitats, either died out, or their numbers decreased significantly. Some of the steppe species are directly destroyed by humans.