07/09/2026
Today is , which marks the last day of the Tasmanian tiger's existence, and it's a sombre fact that Australia sadly holds the record for having one of the highest animal extinction rates on the planet.
To stave off further species extinctions, Griffith University researchers work tirelessly to highlight the current and projected threats to Australia's unique wildlife, big and small.
Small species such as freshwater fish endemic to Queensland's Tropical North were the focus of new research led by researchers Dr Kaitlyn O'Mara, Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo, Professor Mark Kennard and Professor Brad Pusey from Griffith's Australian Rivers Institute that found 22 species across the entire Wet Tropics region faced severe extinction risks due to multiple threats including habitat loss, invasive species and warmer waters.
The species facing the highest risk was the diminutive Daintree rainbowfish (Cairnsichthys bitaeniatus), found only in small rainforest streams in the Daintree region in Far North Queensland, with up to 10 unique threats to its population.
“These freshwater fish species are unique,” lead author Dr O’Mara said. "Many are found nowhere else on Earth. If they are lost from the Wet Tropics, they become globally extinct."
The comprehensive study was co-led by researchers from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI), JCU: James Cook University, Australia, and University of Canberra, and funded by Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and the Australian Government under the National Environmental Science Program’s Resilient Landscapes Hub.
