Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did rising sea levels contribute to the extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
endangered species
Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) feeding in a bamboo forest, Sichuan (Szechwan) province, China.
The Bramble Cay melomys, a rodent species, is recognized as the first mammal to be declared extinct as a direct result of anthropogenic climate change.1
The extinction was caused by rising sea levels that overwhelmed the animal's island habitat. Because the species was restricted to this specific, small geographic area, the inundation of the island destroyed the environment necessary for its survival, leading to its formal declaration of extinction in 2019. This event underscores the existential threat that global warming and associated environmental shifts pose to species with limited distributions.1