Bramble Cay Mosaic Tail Rat

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Bramble Cay Mosaic Tail Rat
Bramble-cay-melomys.jpg

Bramble Cay mosaic tail rat ( Melomys rubicola )

Systematics
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Hydromyini
Uromys group
Genre : Mosaic tail rats ( Melomys )
Type : Bramble Cay Mosaic Tail Rat
Scientific name
Melomys rubicola
Thomas , 1924

The Bramble Cay mosaic tail rat ( Melomys rubicola ) is a rodent belonging to the genus of the mosaic tail rats ( Melomys ) that became extinct in 2016 . It was declared extinct as the first species of mammal to fall victim to climate change . It was one of the most isolated mammal species in the world and was endemic to the islet of Bramble Cay on the Torres Strait in the far north of the Great Barrier Reef .

features

The Bramble Cay mosaic tail rat reached a head-to-trunk length of 140 to 160 mm, a tail length of 145 to 180 mm and a weight of 100 g. The teat formula was 2/0 = 4. The upper side was a solid chestnut brown or light gray-brown and turned yellowish brown on the flanks. The underside was white, including the feet, cheeks, and lower jaw. The tail was long and thin, the ears were small. The Bramble Cay mosaic tail rat was similar to the Cape York mosaic tail rat ( Melomys capensis ). It differed from the latter in having different blood proteins and morphologically by the considerably coarser tail, which was characterized by raised scales.

distribution and habitat

The distribution of the Bramble Cay mosaic tail rat was limited to Bramble Cay, a coral island with a total area of ​​5 hectares, of which about 2.2 hectares are covered with vegetation. Despite an intensive search, it was never discovered on other islands. It was the only species of mammal on the island and lived in the thick grass in the company of numerous sea birds and sea turtles.

Way of life

Little is known about the rat's way of life. She was nocturnal and took shelter in buildings during the day. The diet was vegetarian, they looked for food in the herbaceous and beach vegetation.

status

In 2008 IUCN classified the Bramble Cay mosaic black rat in the critically endangered category and assumed a population of less than a hundred specimens, of which about 50 were sexually mature adults. This estimate was based on a search expedition between 2002 and 2004, when the last specimens were observed.

During a search expedition in 2011, no more specimens could be found. In 2012, the Bramble Cay mosaic tail rat was included in the “Critically Endangered” category with the addition “possibly extinct” in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act . The island's erosion was assumed to be the main threat. A potential natural disaster, such as a violent storm, could have destroyed all of the species' suitable habitat. Invasive plants, the importation of predators and the spread of epidemics also represented a considerable risk. Since the investigation took place during the main breeding season for sea turtles, another search was undertaken in spring 2014, which was again unsuccessful.

In June 2016, the Bramble Cay mosaic black rat was listed as an extinct mammal by the IUCN Red List. It is the first mammal species that has been classified in this way due to anthropogenic climate change and has actually become extinct. A particularly high rise in sea level in the area of ​​the Torres Strait of 6 mm per year since 1993, a total of 10.2 cm in the period from 1993 to 2010 alone, and changed weather conditions, such as increased cyclonic activity, destroyed 97% of the animal habitat within just 10 years and resulted in repeated flooding of the island. The vegetation declined dramatically, only two of the previously more than eleven plant species were still found on the island in 2014. The Queensland government has asked to investigate other locations for a possible population, but sees this search as almost hopeless.

In February 2019, the Bramble Cay mosaic black rat was added to the list of extinct mammals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act by the Australian Ministry of the Environment.

literature

  • Peter Menkhorst: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Illustrated by Frank Knight. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne et al. 2001, ISBN 0-19-550870-X , p. 176.
  • Ronald Strahan (Ed.): The Mammals of Australia. Revised edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington 1995, ISBN 1-56098-673-5 , pp. 637-638.
  • Andrew Burbidge , John Woinarski , Peter Harrison: The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012 Csiro Publishing, 2014. ISBN 978-064-310-873-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Jan Dönges: First mammal extinct due to climate change spectrum from June 14, 2016, accessed on February 19, 2019.
  2. AFP / Stuttgarter Nachrichten, First mammal extinct due to climate change in: Stuttgarter Nachrichten, February 19, 2019, accessed on February 19, 2019.
  3. Michael Slezak, Revealed: first mammal species wiped out by human-induced climate change in: The Guardian , June 14, 2016, accessed June 14, 2016
  4. Ian Gynther, Natalie Waller, Luke KP Leung, Confirmation of the extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys Melomys rubicola on Bramble Cay, Torres Strait: results and conclusions from a comprehensive survey in August - September 2014 , Government of Queensland, Queensland University, June 2016 (pdf)
  5. Queensland Government, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Bramble Cay melomys as of June 7, 2016.
  6. Daily Mail: Rodent becomes first 'climate change extinction': Australia officially declares the Great Barrier Reef's Bramble Cay melomys is no more from February 19, 2019, accessed on February 19, 2019.