It was described in 2016 as the first mammalian extinction caused by human-induced climate change.
Now the eradication of the Bramble Cay melomys has been officially recognised by Australia, its only known home.
The rodent lived solely on a tiny sand island in the Torres Strait, near the coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The species has not been seen since 2009.
Scientists say there is a chance that an identical or similar species could yet be discovered in PNG.
But they're uncertain because PNG's nearby Key River region has been little documented by research.
Australia has one of the world's highest rates of animal extinction, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
'Our little brown rat'
The Australian government's decision to list the species as extinct comes after the Queensland state government made an identical determination in 2016.
A state government report said it was almost certainly caused by "ocean inundation of the low-lying cay, very likely on multiple occasions, during the last decade, causing dramatic habitat loss and perhaps also direct mortality of individuals".
It added: "Significantly, this probably represents the first recorded mammalian extinction due to anthropogenic climate change."
The loss of an animal that was hardly known in the public mind has generated sadness in Australia and abroad.
"The Bramble Cay melomys was a little brown rat," said Tim Beshara, a spokesman for advocacy group The Wilderness Society.
"But it was our little brown rat and it was our responsibility to make sure it persisted. And we failed."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-47300992
Honestly? I'm just speechless that this is not major news. This is only the sign of our times. Climate change is now actually beginning to claim major species and effect major ecosystems but we must not forget that such solutions take time.
