SYDNEY: Australia ’s devastating drought, and other effects of climate change are pushing the iconic duck-billed platypus, a globally unique mammal , towards extinction, a study published on Monday warned. Platypuses were once considered widespread across the eastern Australian mainland and Tasmania , although not a lot is known about their distribution or abundance because of the species’ secretive and nocturnal nature, according to researchers from the University of New South Wales , Australia. Researchers call for action to minimise the risk of the platypus vanishing due to habitat destruction, dams and weirs.The study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, examined the potentially devastating combination of threats to platypus populations, including water resource development, land clearing, climate change and increasingly severe periods of drought.