Daily Times

Australian scientists have called for the platypus to be listed as a vulnerable species in Victoria state, after research found dwindling numbers of the semi-aquatic mammal because of loss of habitat and a warming climate. Ecologist Joshua Griffiths, who supervised the collection of data that led to the recommendation by a scientific advisory panel, said the platypus population across the state had likely fallen by about 30% in the last 20 to 30 years. “We have seen major declines in population in Victoria’s western regions, localised extinctions and the kind of things that are affecting the platypuses are going to increase in future,” Griffiths told Reuters. Land-clearing for agriculture, mining and forestry had been the biggest factor in the destruction of habitat over several decades but last summer’s bushfires have greatly compounded the impact.