First Mammal Extinction From Human-Induced Climate Change

bramble cay melomys
By State of Queensland, CC BY 3.0 au
bramble cay melomys
By State of Queensland, CC BY 3.0 au

First Mammal Extinction From Human-Induced Climate Change

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The Bramble Cay melomys, or mosaic-tailed rat, was a small rodent that could only be found in the Great Barrier Reef. Ten years ago, there were only 100 in existence. Today, scientists can find no trace of the animal. 

The loss has been declared the first mammal extinction caused directly by human-induced climate change. 

We talk to Mark Urban, an associate professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut about how our actions wiped out the Bramble Cay melomy. Urban will also share results from his own meta-analysis of over 130 studies, which indicate that one out of every six of the world’s species faces extinction due to our effect on the climate.