AUSTRALIA -- It is official. The Bramble Cay melomys has been claimed to be the first mammal who has gone into extinction due to the harsh effects of climate change.
The Australian Government, this week, declared the extinction of a rodent they called the Bramble Cay melomys. They are characterized by their mosaic-tailed rat. The scientific name is Melomys Rubicola has been declared as the first mammal to ever go into extinction and it's all because of the dreaded climate change.
The announcement of such a tragic reality has been buried in a press release saying that the Australian government in enacting stronger policies for the protection of endangered species. Three years ago, the stage government of Queensland has had their own declaration, which was further followed by intensive and exhaustive research of the sandy cay seeking the evidence that will bring forth the reality of extinction.
The Bramble Cay melomys were known to live in a single habitat for the rest of their life. Theirs was in a small reef island at the Northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, a little closer to the edge of Papua New Guinea. The sandy cay where these small mammals thrived was only about 1,100 feet by 500 feet. It also about three feet above sea level. Sadly, this small patch of land has been buffeted by a number of storm surges due to bad weather conditions. The heavy waters have reportedly devastated more than 95% of the land vegetation -- the melomys food consumption.
According to the report released by the Australian government in 2016, the last person who has reportedly seen the melomy was a fisherman and it was back in 2009. And because there were no traces of the melomys seen after that, it might have been the last of its kind. They used to be species considered as common until the end of the 20th century when not one was seen.
According to the 2008 species recovery plan, there were still about 10 to 12 melomys in the Northern part of Australia. But due to coastal erosion, flooding and the continuous rise in the sea level, the number of species were threatened until none was left. Sadly, not much effort was done after the 2008 report. The continuous existence of potential threats and the lack of effort on saving the species may have led them to extinction.
Perhaps the most recent declaration of the extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys would finally inspire more people to prevent the loss of more species. Or perhaps governments around the world should mobilize and put more effort in saving these species before it becomes too late.
