The First Mammal Has Gone Extinct Due To Climate Change

Few people have heard of the Bramble Cay melomys, but its name could go down in history as the first mammal species to be wiped out through human-induced climate change.
As recently as 1978, hundreds of these rodents (Melomys rubicola) inhabited Bramble Cay, a tiny island that forms part of the Great Barrier Reef. But there have been no sightings of the animal since 2009, and a comprehensive survey of the island has now confirmed the worst.
Despite leaving small mammal traps across Bramble Cay – which is only the length of three football pitches – for 900 nights, none were caught. Camera traps operating for 60 nights found no sign of the rodent either.


The rat was essentially drowned as sea levels gradually overwhelmed his native habitat. The University of Queensland report points out that seawater claimed about 97 percent of the animal's already minuscule habitat in just about a decade.
"There is almost no doubt the Bramble Cay melomys is extinct, and there is no doubt that this is caused by habitat loss due to sea level rise," James Watson of the University of Queensland told New Scientist.


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