(CNN) A small brown rat which lived on a tiny island off northern Australia is the world's first mammal known to have become extinct due to "human-induced climate change," the government says.

The Bramble Cay melomys inhabited a small coral island on the Great Barrier Reef, measuring about five hectares (12 acres) and located in the Torres Strait, between Queensland state and Papua New Guinea.

Bramble Cay Melomys has been declared extinct as a result of climate change

The mammal had not been seen for almost 10 years and was initially pronounced extinct after "exhaustive" conservation efforts failed, according to a report published by the University of Queensland in 2016.

That finding was confirmed by the Australian government on Monday.

The cause of its extinction was "almost certainly ocean inundation" from rising sea levels over the past decade, which had led to "dramatic habitat loss," according to the 2016 report.

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