(Photo: Daniel Eskridge/Shutterstock.com)

Platypus Could Soon Be Extinct As Climate Change Threatens Natural Habitats

Scientists have revealed that the platypus is on “the brink of extinction” as a number of climate change related problems endanger their survival.

Climate crisis threats to the platypus include harsh weather conditions and the destruction of their natural habitats. These animals are also at risk from predators, and the combination of these things is severely impacting the species.

“These dangers further expose the platypus to even worse local extinctions with no capacity to repopulate areas” said Dr Gilad Bino, the lead author of a new study into the issue.

The study has been published in a scientific journal called Biological Conservation. This research is the first of its kind to take place in Australia — the only country in which this species are naturally found — and was conducted to better understand the population numbers.

Natural habitats are under threat (Photo: wernermuellerschell/Shutterstock.com)

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Impact Of Climate Change On Platypus

The research initially estimated that there could be as much as a 66 percent decline in platypus numbers over the next 50 years. This number was then adjusted to take climate change risks into account, pushing the figure up to a possible 73 percent decline.

“The consequences are grim” said Professor Richard Kingsford, one of the authors of the study.

“If we lost the platypus from Australian rivers, you would say, What sort of government policies or care allow that to happen? What sort of nonchalance and disregard for one of the world’s most important species has allowed this to happen?”

Do you think the government will step up efforts to protect this species? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!