Giant hutia

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Giant Hutias
Fossil range: Pleistocene
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricomorpha
Infraorder: Hystricognathi
Parvorder: Caviomorpha
Family: †Heptaxodontidae
Anthony, 1917
Genera

†Amblyrhiza
†Clidomys
†Elasmodontomys
†Quemisia
†Xaymaca

The giant hutias are an extinct group of large rodents known from fossil and subfossil material in the West Indies. One species, Amblyrhiza inundata, is estimated to have weighed between 50 and 200 kg, big specimens being as large as an American Black Bear. This is much larger than Capybara, the largest rodent living today, but still much smaller than Phoberomys pattersoni and Phoberomys insolita, the largest rodents presently known. These animals may have persisted into historic times and were probably used as a food source by aboriginal humans. All giant hutias are in a single family Heptaxodontidae, which contains no living species.

Contents

[edit] Taxonomy

The giant hutias are divided into two subfamilies, five genera, and six species.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Biknevicius, A. R.; McFarlane, Donald A. & MacPhee, R. D. E (1993): Body size in Amblyrhiza inundata (Rodentia: Caviomorpha), an extinct megafaunal rodent from the Anguilla Bank, West Indies: estimates and implications. Am. Mus. Novit. 3079: 1-26. PDF fulltext
  • MacPhee, R. D. E. & Flemming, C. (2003): A possible heptaxodontine and other caviidan rodents from the Quaternary of Jamaica. Am. Mus. Novit. 3422: 1-42. PDF fulltext
  • Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
  • Woods, C. A. 1989. Biogeography of West Indian rodents. Pp 741-797 in Biogeography of the West Indies: Past Present and Future. Sandhil Crane Press, Gainesville.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Uncertain status as species, suspected to be juvenile specimens of C. osborni. Morgan, Gary, S.; Wilkins, Laurie (2003). "The Extinct Rodent Clidomys (Heptaxodontidae) From a Late Quaternary Cave Deposit in Jamaica". Caribbean Journal of Science 39 (1): 34-41. 
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Rodent Families
Sciuromorpha
†Allomyidae · Aplodontiidae · †Mylagaulidae · †Reithroparamyidae · Sciuridae · Gliridae
Castorimorpha
†Eutypomyidae · Castoridae · †Rhizospalacidae · †Eomyidae · †Florentiamyidae · †Heliscomyidae · Heteromyidae · Geomyidae
Myomorpha
Anomaluromorpha
Anomaluridae · †Parapedetidae · Pedetidae
Hystricomorpha
†Tamquammyidae · †Gobiomyidae · Ctenodactylidae · Diatomyidae · †Yuomyidae · †Chapattimyidae · †Tsaganomyidae · †"Baluchimyinae" · †Bathyergoididae · Bathyergidae · Hystricidae · †Myophiomyidae · †Diamantomyidae · †Phiomyidae · †Kenyamyidae · Petromuridae · Thryonomyidae · Erethizontidae · Chinchillidae · Dinomyidae · †Cephalomyidae · Caviidae · Dasyproctidae · †Eocardiidae · Cuniculidae · Ctenomyidae · Octodontidae · †Neoepiblemidae · Abrocomidae · Echimyidae · Myocastoridae · Capromyidae · †Heptaxodontidae
Prehistoric rodents
(incertae sedis)
†Eurymylidae · †Alagomyidae · †Archetypomyidae · †Cocomyidae · †Ivanantoniidae · †Laredomyidae · †Ischyromyidae · †Theridomyidae · †Protoptychidae · †Zegdoumyidae · †Sciuravidae · †Cylindrodontidae · †Zelomyidae
† indicates extinct taxa