#cape york melomys

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Animal of the Day!

Bramble Cay Melomys (Melomys rubicola)

(Photo from State of Queensland)

Extinction Date- 2015

Habitat- Bramble Cay

Size (Weight/Length)-16 cm

Diet- Succulents; Turtle eggs

Cool Facts- The Bramble Cay melomys may seem like an insignificant rodent, but these little guys were officially known as the first mammal to go extinct due to climate change. Found on a tiny island off the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, these melomys were threatened by a mixture of storms and rising sea level as the entire Cay was only 3 meters above sea level. During surveys, the last known Bramble Cay melomys was spotted in 2009 and they were officially declared extinct in 2015. Their extinction was a massive wakeup call for mammalian extinctions due to anthropocentric change. The Cape York melomys remains on mainland Australia is considered least concern thanks to preservation of their natural habitat and attempts of eliminating invasive species like foxes, cats, and rabbits. 

Rating- 12/10 (Forever remembered.)