Mammal species in Australia are getting wiped off the planet’s surface faster than in any other part of the world, reveals a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Being described by conservation experts as “extinction calamity,” it is not being caused by to loss of habitat or due to hunting, as one would like to believe. But mainly due to predation by cats and foxes.

According to the recently released figures, Australia has lost one in ten of its native mammal species over the last two centuries, making it the highest rate of loss anywhere in the world according to scientists at Charles Darwin University, Australia.

The decline has been brought about by two animals believed to have been introduced to the Australian mainland by the Europeans- cats and foxes, though large scale fires should also shoulder a part of the blame.

The extraordinary rate at which the native mammals of this continent have been disappearing has bewildered conservationists for a long time. While the extinction of various species in other parts of the world is generally blamed on humans who have over hunted the animals or destroyed their habitat, that cannot be a reason in Australia. Mainly because this sparsely populated continent has vast deserts which are virtually untouched by people. Going by that yardstick, it should be a paradisaical safe-haven for animals.

But when a group of Australian scientists observed that this was not the case, they set out to pinpoint the scope of the extinction problem and the reason underlying it by tracking the fate of all the country’s land and marine mammals since the first European settlers arrived in Australia in 1788.

It was found that since 1788, 11% of 273 native mammals living on land have died out, 21% are threatened and 15% are near threatened, the study found. Marine mammals are faring better.

“No other country has had such a high rate and number of mammal extinctions over this period, and the number we report for Australia is substantially higher than previous estimates,” said conservation biologist John Woinarski, who led the research.

“A further 56 Australian land mammals are now threatened, indicating that this extremely high rate of biodiversity loss is likely to continue unless substantial changes are made.

“The extent of the problem has been largely unappreciated until recently because much of the loss involves small, nocturnal, shy species with [little] public profile – few Australians know of these species, let alone have seen them, so their loss has been largely unappreciated by the community.”

To make sure that the rate of extinction is brought down, effective steps need to be taken. If that does not happen soon, iconic species which are peculiar to the region might also start dwindling in numbers.