Study Reveals Australia’s Mammals in Peril
(MENAFN) A sweeping new study reveals that mammals in Australia and New Guinea have borne the brunt of extinctions and invasive species invasions over the last 100,000 years.
Led by Flinders University in South Australia, the research underscores how the disappearance and arrival of animals weighing over 10 kilograms have significantly disrupted native ecosystems. The findings were announced in a statement from the university on Monday, raising urgent new alarms for conservation efforts.
Historically, Australia was home to massive creatures such as the Diprotodon—a marsupial the size of a rhinoceros—and the Megalania, a giant lizard. Both vanished tens of thousands of years ago. More recently, since European colonization in the 18th century, introduced species like goats, pigs, and deer have further destabilized the continent’s fragile ecological balance, according to the study.
Mammals and herbivores have suffered the most from targeted extinctions and new species arrivals, while reptile and bird populations have remained comparatively steady, explained lead researcher John Llewelyn of Flinders University.
Published in Quaternary Australasia, the journal of the Australasian Quaternary Association, the study states that mammals not only experienced the highest extinction rates but also constitute the bulk of large animals introduced post-European settlement.
“This bias for introducing mammals, in combination with evolutionary isolation, could partially explain why native mammals have been so strongly affected,” said Flinders Professor Corey Bradshaw, who co-authored the study.
While Australia’s geographic isolation fostered uniquely evolved fauna, Llewelyn noted that this alone doesn’t fully account for why mammals have declined more dramatically than other groups.
Diet may be a critical factor. Most mammals are herbivores, making them more sensitive to shifts in environmental conditions. In contrast, birds tend to be omnivorous and reptiles primarily carnivorous—traits that may provide greater ecological flexibility, he said.
Bradshaw added that invasive mammals are displacing native species without fulfilling the lost ecological roles. He emphasized the importance of identifying these functional gaps to shape more effective, targeted conservation policies.
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