Bramble Cay melomys extinction caused by human-induced climate change, officials say

FILE PHOTO: Fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes), nocturnal native rodent. Cape Tribulation, Daintree National Park, North Queensland, Australia. A cousin to the one pictured, the Melomys rubicola, has been labeled extinct due to "human-induced climate change."

Credit: Auscape/UIG via Getty Images

Credit: Auscape/UIG via Getty Images

FILE PHOTO: Fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes), nocturnal native rodent. Cape Tribulation, Daintree National Park, North Queensland, Australia. A cousin to the one pictured, the Melomys rubicola, has been labeled extinct due to "human-induced climate change."
Nation & World
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Feb 20, 2019
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A small Australian mammal has been deemed extinct due to “human-induced climate change.”

The Bramble Cay melomys has not been seen for about 10 years and was first categorized as extinct in 2016. Specifically, scientists said the animals were killed off because of rising sea levels that led to "dramatic habitat loss," according to a 2016 University of Queensland report.

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There were several hundred of the small rodent counted on Bramble Cay between Queensland and Papua New Guinea in the 1970s. By 1992, they were considered endangered, CNN reported.

A Greens Party senator in Australia blames the extinction on mining and the country's use of coal, according to CNN.

The University of Connecticut found in 2015 if temperatures rise across the globe, almost 8 percent could become extinct. Australia, New Zealand and South America are at the highest risk, the study concluded.

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About the Author

Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk