Puerto Rican Nesophontes

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Puerto Rican Nesophontes^[1]

Conservation status

Extinct (early 16th century) ^[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Soricomorpha
Family:	Nesophontidae
Genus:	Nesophontes
Species:	N. edithae

Binomial name

Nesophontes edithae
Anthony, 1916

The Puerto Rican Nesophontes (Nesophontes edithae), or Puerto Rican Shrew, is an extinct soricomorph endemic to the island of Puerto Rico.

It is believed that the animal was never observed by Europeans. Contemporary fossils with indigenous artifacts and introduced rat fossils indicate survival into the colonial era, possibly until the 16th century. The shrew lived on the 4' island montane forest/brush endemic to western Puerto Rico and was an insectivore. There are fossil specimens located in London. It disappeared after introduction of rats and due to the destruction of its forest habitat.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Hutterer, Rainer (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 221. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.