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Heptaxodontidae
Heptaxodontidae, rarely called giant hutia, is an extinct family (taxonomy), family of large rodents known from fossil and subfossil material found in the West Indies. One species, ''Blunt-toothed giant hutia, Amblyrhiza inundata'', is estimated to have weighed between , reaching the weight of an eastern gorilla. This is twice as large as the capybara, the largest rodent living today, but still much smaller than ''Josephoartigasia monesi'', the largest rodent known. These animals were probably used as a food source by the pre-Columbian peoples of the Caribbean. Heptaxodontidae contains no living species and the grouping seems to be paraphyletic and arbitrary, however. One of the smaller species, ''Twisted-toothed mouse, Quemisia gravis'', may have survived as late as when the Spanish began to colonize the Caribbean. Despite the vernacular name, heptaxodontids are not closely related to the extant hutias of the family Echimyidae. Heptaxodontids are thought to be more closely rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amblyrhiza
The blunt-toothed giant hutia (''Amblyrhiza inundata'') is an extinct species of giant hutia from Anguilla and Saint Martin that is estimated to have weighed between 50 and 200 kg (110 and 440 lb). It was discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1868 in a sample of phosphate sediments mined in an unknown cave (possibly Cavannagh Cave) in Anguilla and sent to Philadelphia to estimate the value of the sediments. It is the sole species of the genus ''Amblyrhiza'' in the fossil family Heptaxodontidae. Some authors have suggested that its extinction may have resulted from overhunting by pre-Columbian humans. However, it is unknown whether this species was contemporaneous with human populations. Fossil specimens discovered at the end of the 20th century on Anguilla have been dated to the last interstadial period, while very recent discoveries made on Coco Islet ( Saint-Barthélemy) are dated to 400,000 - 500,000 years; no bone has been recovered yet from a pre-Columbian archaeolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amblyrhiza Inundata
The blunt-toothed giant hutia (''Amblyrhiza inundata'') is an extinct species of giant hutia from Anguilla and Saint Martin that is estimated to have weighed between 50 and 200 kg (110 and 440 lb). It was discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1868 in a sample of phosphate sediments mined in an unknown cave (possibly Cavannagh Cave) in Anguilla and sent to Philadelphia to estimate the value of the sediments. It is the sole species of the genus ''Amblyrhiza'' in the fossil family Heptaxodontidae. Some authors have suggested that its extinction may have resulted from overhunting by pre-Columbian humans. However, it is unknown whether this species was contemporaneous with human populations. Fossil specimens discovered at the end of the 20th century on Anguilla have been dated to the last interstadial period, while very recent discoveries made on Coco Islet ( Saint-Barthélemy) are dated to 400,000 - 500,000 years; no bone has been recovered yet from a pre-Columbian archaeol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clidomyinae
Osborn's key mouse (''Clidomys osborni''), also known as the larger Jamaican giant hutia, is an extinct species of large rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It was endemic to the island of Jamaica and likely became extinct before the end of the Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin .... Osborn's key mouse has only been found in six caves: Wallingford Roadside Cave, Sheep Pen Cave, Molton Fissure, Worthy Park Cave 1, Luidas Vale Cave, and Slue's Cave. Taxonomy ''Clidomys parvus'' was thought to be a smaller and separate species from ''C. osborni'' but later investigation has shown that they may belong to the same species. The distinction is thought to have originated from the examination of juvenile specimens of ''C. osborni''. This was concluded by examinati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elasmodontomys
The plate-toothed giant hutia (''Elasmodontomys obliquus'') is an extinct species of rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It is the only species within the genus ''Elasmodontomys''. It was found in Puerto Rico. Description The rodent is thought to have weighed and survived for at least 2000 years after humans colonised Puerto Rico. Taxonomy Despite being described as a "giant hutia", it has recently been recovered as a member of the Chinchilloidea Caviomorpha is the rodent parvorder that unites all New World hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence. The Caviomorpha was for a time considered to be a separate order outside the Rodentia, but is now accepted as .... References Heptaxodontidae Mammals of Puerto Rico Endemic fauna of Puerto Rico Extinct rodents Extinct animals of North America Rodents of North America Holocene extinctions Quaternary mammals of North America Mammals described in 1916 {{paleo-rodent-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quemisia
The twisted-toothed mouse (''Quemisia gravis''), also known as the twisted-toothed giant hutia is an extinct species of rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Quemisia''. It was endemic to Hispaniola (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...). References Heptaxodontidae Holocene extinctions Mammals described in 1929 Fossil taxa described in 1929 Extinct animals of Haiti Mammals of Hispaniola Extinct animals of the Dominican Republic Mammals of the Dominican Republic Mammals of Haiti Mammals of the Caribbean Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{paleo-rodent-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elasmodontomys Obliquus
The plate-toothed giant hutia (''Elasmodontomys obliquus'') is an extinct species of rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It is the only species within the genus ''Elasmodontomys''. It was found in Puerto Rico. Description The rodent is thought to have weighed and survived for at least 2000 years after humans colonised Puerto Rico. Taxonomy Despite being described as a "giant hutia", it has recently been recovered as a member of the Chinchilloidea Caviomorpha is the rodent parvorder that unites all New World hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence. The Caviomorpha was for a time considered to be a separate order outside the Rodentia, but is now accepted as .... References Heptaxodontidae Mammals of Puerto Rico Endemic fauna of Puerto Rico Extinct rodents Extinct animals of North America Rodents of North America Holocene extinctions Quaternary mammals of North America Mammals described in 1916 {{paleo-rodent-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Josephoartigasia Monesi
''Josephoartigasia'' is an extinct genus of enormous dinomyid rodent from the Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Uruguay. The only living member of Dinomyidae is the pacarana. ''Josephoartigasia'' is named after Uruguayan national hero José Artigas. It contains two species: ''J. magna'', described in 1966 based on a left mandible, and ''J. monesi'', described in 2008 based on a practically complete skull. Both are reported from the San José Member of the Raigón Formation by the Barrancas de San Gregorio along the shores of Kiyú beach. The skull of ''J. monesi'' measures , similar to a beef cow skull, equating to a full body length of —though this is likely an overestimate—and a weight of about . This makes ''J. monesi'' the biggest rodent ever discovered. It was much larger than ''J. magna'', giant hutia or the largest living rodent, the capybara, which averages . ''J. monesi'' also had a massive bite force of approximately at the incisors (on par with large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hutia
Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands. Most species are restricted to Cuba, but species are known from all of the Greater Antilles, as well as The Bahamas and (formerly) Little Swan Island off of Honduras. Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but at least half are extinct. Only Desmarest's hutia and the prehensile-tailed hutia remain common and widespread; all other extant species are considered threatened by the IUCN. The extinct giant hutias of the family Heptaxodontidae also inhabited the Caribbean, but are not thought to be closely related, with the giant hutias belonging in the superfamily Chinchilloidea. Description Most species have a head-and-body length that ranges from and weigh less than , but Desmarest's hutia has a head-and-body length of and weighs . They resemble the coypu in some respects. Tails are present, varying from vestiges to pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
