It is estimated over a billion animals have now died in the bushfires ravaging Australia.
The original, conservative estimate of half a billion animal deaths in the state of New South Wales was recently raised by University of Sydney ecologist Chris Dickman.
He told HuffPost the original figure - the 480 million - was based on mammals, birds and reptiles for which they do have densities, and that figure is now a little bit out of date.
The new prediction was 800 million, but even that wasn't completely accurate as it didn't include bats, frogs and invertebrates.
He says if 800 million sounds a lot, it is not all the animals in the firing line.
Dickman adds he had no doubt the loss of wildlife across the country was over one billion - even that would be a "very conservative figure.
This estimate was confirmed by World Wildlife Fund Australia's environmental scientist Stuart Blanch, who told HuffPost it would be a modest guess.
[Source: Stuff.Co]
