<
https://theconversation.com/impressive-rafting-skills-the-8-million-year-old-origin-story-of-how-rodents-colonised-australia-189793>
"A single, pregnant rodent floating on driftwood across the treacherous waters
between Asia and New Guinea 8.5 million years ago may be behind the eventual
colonisation of native rodents in Australia, our new research suggests.
Today, Australia has more than 60 species of native rodents found nowhere else
in the world. When you count their close relatives across New Guinea and island
neighbours, there are over 150 species. These include the rakali, an otter-like
rodent with webbed feet, and desert hopping mice that get around like tiny
kangaroos.
Until now, we’ve had an incomplete picture of how there came to be so many
species. Our new research unites genomic sequencing and museum collections to
reconstruct the evolutionary tale of native rodents, including many extinct and
elusive species – and they have a fascinating origin story.
Native rodents have also suffered the highest rate of recent extinction of any
mammal group in Australia, with 11 mainland species declared extinct since
European colonisation in 1788. Many surviving native rodents remain at serious
risk of extinction, with urgent conservation action needed to secure their
future."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
