Do you know what led to mass extinction of Australian animals 35 million years ago? Scientists have a clue

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New Delhi: Temperature drop is what scientists quote as a reason behind mass extinction of Australian animals 35 million years ago.

This period of intense and rapid climate change occurred at the same time when Australia separated from Antarctica.

Researchers from Australian National University (ANU) detected the mass extinction of pygopodoid geckos by using molecular evolutionary methods to examine fossil records.

"The dramatic shift to colder and drier climates likely resulted in rapidly changing Australian habitats, which hugely impacted the animals that inhabited them," said lead researcher Ian Brennan, from the ANU Research School of Biology.

"Our research provides evidence that rapid shifts in climate may have profound and long-lasting effects on global biodiversity," said Brennan.

The findings also suggested the emergence and spread of deserts in Australia from about 10 million years ago provided ideal habitat for new pygopodoid gecko species to prosper.

(With PTI inputs)