5th May 2014
3 hours ago
(Phys.org) —The discovery of musky rat-kangaroo fossils has prompted experts to call for better protection of tropical rainforests after new links show the tiny marsupial cannot survive outside that environment.
The findings come from a study by The University of Queensland and The University of New South Wales.
Dr Kenny Travouillon, from UQ's School of Earth Sciences, said the fossils showed musky rat-kangaroos were not found outside tropical rainforests, which suggested the animals never diversified into other environments, such as temperate rainforests.
"We must carefully monitor the tropical rainforest because if climate change does affect it, the musky rat-kangaroo, and possibly other species, will have nowhere else to go," Dr Travouillon said.
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