Australia has confirmed that its only native shrew, the Christmas Island shrew, is now extinct. The formal extinction statement was published via the IUCN Red List and backed by the authors of the report cited by the Conversation.
What's happening?
According to professor John Woinarski, the species' disappearance means Australia has lost 39 land mammal species since 1788, the highest total for any country. "It is a deplorable record trashing of trashing an extraordinary legacy," Woinarski said, per the Conversation.
The shrew was described in the 1890s as extremely common and recognizable by its shrill night calls. However, after black rats were accidentally introduced carrying trypanosome parasites, native mammals, like the shrew, began to decline. According to Woimarski, only four shrews were ever captured after 1900, and there have been no verified sightings since the 1980s despite searches and two recovery plans.
Why is the shrew's extinction a concern?
The loss of the shrew is a part of the threat to biodiversity globally. A study found that nearly 13% of marine teleost fish species are at risk of extinction (five times higher than earlier estimates) due to overfishing, warming oceans, and plastic pollution.
It's a sign that ecosystems are breaking down and becoming less able to bounce back from change when animals like the Christmas Island shrew disappear. In Mexico's Gulf of California, the vaquita porpoise has dropped to fewer than 10 left because of illegal fishing nets. These cases illustrate how human activity can quickly push vulnerable animals beyond recovery. The UN says that losing biodiversity hurts both nature and can also affect people's food supply, health, and wellbeing.
What's being done about extinctions?
The Australian government promised in 2022 to end mammal extinctions with its 10-year Threatened Species Action Plan, but the shrew's disappearance shows how much more work there is to do.
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Anyone can help by supporting conservation efforts, pushing for biosecurity policies, and simply talking with friends and family about why protecting biodiversity matters.
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