The extinction of the first mammal species due to global warming has been officially confirmed.

Australian authorities officially recognizedextinction of the first mammal species due to global climate change. It is a reef mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys rubicola). The announcement of this is contained in a new report, in which the Australian Government also reported on increased measures to protect endangered species. The first message about the possible complete extinction of this species of mammal appeared three years ago. However, all subsequent time, scientists have tried to find comprehensive evidence and evidence of this statement.

According to the new report, the main and onlyMelomys rubicola’s habitat was a small (about four hectares) Bramble Cay Island in the north-east of the Torres Strait. In recent years, the island has been exposed to numerous storms and other extreme weather events. According to published information, this led to the destruction of 97 percent of the habitat of the species, as a result of which it critically reduced the places and sources of food for Melomys rubicola.

According to the 2016 report last timeA representative of the species Melomys rubicola was seen by professional fishermen in 2009. It is possible that now it is the only surviving representative of the species, reports Scientific America.

Once upon a time a reef mosaic-tailed rat wasdescribed as a relatively common species, but by the end of the 20th century, its population had shrunk to catastrophic values. During the 1998 survey, only 93 live individuals were found; two decades earlier, the population numbered "several hundred." In the course of additional research conducted in 2002 and 2004, scientists were able to detect only 10-12 living specimens. The sad figures were reported in the 2008 report. The potential main reasons for the decline in the population of this species were elevated levels of ocean water, flooding, and erosion of the island’s coastal zones.

Unfortunately, proposed in this connection in 2008year, a plan aimed at restoring the population of Melomys rubicola, to no avail. As Tim Beshard, director of the Australian Wildlife Society state Australian organization, said in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald this week, the proposed options for action have not been implemented.

Scientific America notes thatthe sad statements of the Australian government were quite expected. When a report submitted to the Government of Queensland in 2016 referred to the possible extinction of the species Melomys rubicola, the main reason for this was the anthropogenic climate change that led to a rise in global sea level.

Although the extinction of "some kind of rat" forSome may seem like a minor event and certainly not the end of the world, this fact is another reminder that human civilization has an irreversible catastrophic effect on the planet.

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