Page 191 - BEATS Secondary School

Climate Change Kills Its

First Species: Australian

Rodent Extinct

- Kashika Lath, MYP 4

Bramble Cay melomys have officially been declared extinct after

being sought after for a decade. The rodent’s only known habitat

was a small sandy island in Northern Australia, which had been

searched thoroughly for any trace of the missing rat.

A comprehensive study by Queensland researchers proves habitat

loss to be the cause. They determined that a crucial factor for
the mammal’s disappearance to be, “almost certainly” repeated

ocean inundation of Cay.

Increasing global warming caused the ocean levels to rise and

flood the rodent’s habitat, causing dramatic habitat loss, and

often killing many of them. Over the last decade, they kept

decreasing, till they went extinct.

Australia’s Environment Ministry shifted the mammal to the
‘extinct’ list. The official declaration commenced on 18 February

2019. The Bramble Cay melomys may be the first to die at the

hands of climate change, but won’t be the last, if defensive

measures are not taken by us.