The tangible effects of climate change have been with us for a long time, but things just got very real. Scientists have reportedly discovered that for the first time, the impacts of human-caused climate change have caused a cute AF mammal to go extinct. If you're not feeling like garbage yet, wait until you see this thing.
The critter, the Bramble Cay melomys, was a small, furry rodent that lived on Bramble Cay, an extremely small piece of land between Papua New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. According to a report from Australian researchers, rising sea levels devastated the Bramble Cay melomys's habitat and food sources, rendering them extinct. The report stated further that a March 2014 survey of Bramble Cay did not find any of the melomys, leading researchers to revisit the site in September of 2014. A thorough (and bummer) search found that none of the melomys remained, confirming their extinction.
Because the previously endangered creature or a very close relative may still be surviving in nearby areas, the report was not able to conclude definitively if the extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys spans worldwide. However, the report stated that the results of the September 2014 survey "probably represents the first recorded mammalian extinction due to anthropogenic climate change."
Here's what this critter looked like:
The report first recommended that the Bramble Cay melomys be officially declared exctinct, and further recommended that Bramble Cay be studied and evaluated further so that any "practical and cost-effective actions to prevent future losses" to bird and turtle habitats caused by ongoing climate change consequences can be tempered.
Dr. Luke Leung, one of the report's authors, did not immediately reply to Complex's request for comment.
