Known alternatively as Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rats, the Bramble Cay Melomys — bearing the scientific name Melomys rubicola — has grabbed global attention following its extinction. Global warming, according to scientists, stands as the leading factor behind the species' steady decline. Should this assessment hold true, these small rodents would represent the first mammal driven to extinction as a direct consequence of anthropogenic climate change.
Fun Facts
• Here is the scientific classification for the Bramble Cay Melomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Melomys
Species: Melomys Rubicola
Binomial name: Melomys Rubicola
• Though the species is suspected of having gone extinct in 2009, it wasn't until May 2015 that the International Union for Conservation of Nature officially declared it extinct.
• In February 2019, the Australian Government followed suit and also declared the species extinct.
• The Queensland's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection made its own formal declaration of Melomys Rubicola as extinct on June 14, 2016.
• These rodents made their home across just 5 acres on Australia's Northern tip of the Greater Barrier Reef, where they would dig burrows into the ground for shelter.
• A typical Bramble Cay measured between 14.8 to 16.5cm in body length, with a tail spanning 14.5 to 18.5cm. Their weight generally fell anywhere between 78and 164 grams.
• The Bramble Cay Melomy characteristically sported a reddish-brown fur coat on top paired with a grayish brown fur coat below.
• In terms of looks, Melomys Rubicola bore a strong resemblance to its close relative, Cape York Melomys.
• Dwindling vegetation caused by rising water levels and storm surges, combined with competition for food with turtles and seabirds, likely sealed the Bramble Cay Melomy's fate — the species probably went extinct from lack of food or reduced habitat resulting from rising sea levels.
• Active only after dark, the Bramble Cay Melomy was a nocturnal animal.