Big animals like elephants, rhinoceros and hippopotamus could vanish within the next hundred years as smaller creatures, which can adapt to more confined habitats will flourish, new research shows.

Researchers at the University of Southampton found that the body mass of mammals will collectively reduce by 25 per cent over the next century as humans encroach onto their land.

Although most of the reduction will be caused by the extinction of large animals, some bigger creatures may actually shrink in size as they are forced to deal with smaller living environments.

Experts studied nearly 15,500 mammals and birds across the globe and used computer modelling to predict how expected habitat loss would impact populations.

While creatures like the Asian elephant, Javan rhinoceros and giraffe will struggle with habitat loss, animals expected to flourish include brown rat, bush rat, and blackbird which are more adaptable.

Rob Cooke, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications, said: “By far the biggest threat to birds and mammals is humankind - with habitats being destroyed due to our impact on the planet, such as deforestation, hunting, intensive farming, urbanisation and the effects of global warming.

“The substantial 'downsizing' of species which we forecast could incur further negative impacts for the long-term sustainability of ecology and evolution.