When we think of extinction, we tend to think of a giant asteroid wiping out the dinosaurs or the black and white video of the last Tasmanian Tiger taken at a Hobart zoo.
But extinction is on our doorstep. In fact, 39 Australian mammals have gone extinct since Australia was colonised in 1788.
Iconic Aussie animals could well be missing from our children's future.
1. Superb fairy-wren
Last week The Guardian dropped the news that this common, bright blue and black garden-dweller could be extinct within the next 30-40 years thanks to climate damage.
It is quite frankly terrifying that a bird that was so recently considered common could plummet toward extinction so quickly.
James Cook University ecologist Martijn van de Pol, a senior author of the recent study that unveiled these findings said, "Using various climate models, we found that human-induced climate change is likely to cause a high risk of population extinction within the next 50 years, even with optimistic emission scenarios."
Turns out we don't just need to worry about threatened species, we also need to worry about those that seem to be doing okay today. Talk about canary in a coal mine.
