Tag: Bramble Cay melomys

Aussie rodent becomes first ‘climate change extinction’

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia officially declared a Great Barrier Reef rodent extinct on Tuesday, making it the first mammal believed to have been killed off by human-induced climate change. The rat-like Bramble Cay melomys — whose only known habitat was a small sandy island in far northern Australia — has not been spotted in a decade. Researchers from Queensland determined a key factor in its disappearance was “almost certainly” repeated ocean inundation of the […]