Climate change pushes Australia's duck-billed platypus from extinction

Prolonged drought and other consequences of climate change are pushing Australia's unique stock of the platypus from extinction. this is the sound of the war

Ann McDonald
Ann McDonald
20 January 2020 Monday 00:00
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Climate change pushes Australia's duck-billed platypus from extinction

Prolonged drought and other consequences of climate change are pushing Australia's unique stock of the platypus from extinction.

this is the sound of the warning from a team of researchers in a new report, published Monday.

Næbdyret, which is by the rivers, has already disappeared from up to 40 percent of its haunts on the east coast of Australia. It is according to scientists, occurred as a result of drought, land clearing, pollution and construction of dams, which fragment the animal's habitat.

Scientists predict that if current threats continue, so will the number of the platypus fall further between 47 and 66 percent over the next 50 years.

And if you take into account projections of a worsening of climate change, the number of the egg-laying mammals decrease up to 73 percent by 2070, write the researchers in their report.

Næbdyret be described as 'close to threatened' by the International World Conservation Union (IUCN), whose purpose is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

But researchers from the Center for Økosystemvidenskab on the New South Wales' University says that the destruction of river systems caused by the many years of rainfall and high temperatures have worsened the outlook for the animal.

the Report concludes that the total population of the platypus in Australia has fallen by 50 percent since the europeans settled on the continent for about 230 years ago.

A previous study published in november 2018, estimated that the stock had fallen by 30 percent in this period to about 200,000 platypus.

The new report is being published at the same time, the large-scale forest fires ravaging large areas of eastern Australia.

Næbdyret together with the four species of myrepindsvinet the only mammal that lays eggs. At the same time has næbdyret a curious appearance with its duckbill, bæverhale, odderlignende feet and a poisonous spine on its hind legs.

Updated: 20.01.2020 00:00