Australian Rodent Is First Mammal Made Extinct by Human-Driven Climate Change, Scientists Say

New York Times ^ | June 14, 2016 | By MICHELLE INNIS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

SYDNEY, Australia - Australian researchers say rising sea levels have wiped out a rodent that lived on a tiny outcrop in the Great Barrier Reef, in what they say is the first documented extinction of a mammal species due to human-caused climate change.

The rodent was known to have lived only on Bramble Cay, a minuscule atoll in the northeast Torres Strait, between the Cape York Peninsula in the Australian state of Queensland and the southern shores of Papua New Guinea. The long-tailed, whiskered creature, called the Bramble Cay melomys, was considered the only mammal endemic to the Great Barrier Reef.

"The key factor responsible for the death of the Bramble Cay melomys is almost certainly high tides and surging seawater, which has traveled inland across the island," Luke Lieng, a scientist from the University of Queensland who was an author of a report on the species' apparent disappearance, said by telephone. "The seawater has destroyed the animal's habitat and food source."

"This is the first documented extinction of a mammal because of climate change," he said.

[Oztrich Boy]

> The only way that rat became a “species” is because it’s ancestors (probably sewer rats from Liverpool) were traveling in a boat that crashed into the reef.

Nope Melomys are different to Rattus

Probably evolved there after their ancestors drifted over from the mainland

Habitat range of Grassland Melomys

Humans probably brought them to Australia, some thousands of years ago

[Gene Eric]

>> Scientists Say

Doubtful that’s been said.

NYT is a Nazi proxy.

[Moonman62]

“is almost certainly high tides and surging seawater,”

Notice they didn’t say “RISING”, because its NOT.

So, WHAT is the link to the nonexistent global warming?

...

You mean you don’t have full faith in the NYTimes?

[Ditter]

Why didn't some greenie weenie organization rescue the poor rats? Surely they saw this coming!

[Senator_Blutarski]

Extinction is the natural state of organisms that fail to adapt. It is not a bad thing. It is the essence of nature to either adapt or fail. These rats failed.