Jamaican coney

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jamaican Coney

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Capromyidae
Genus: Geocapromys
Species: G. brownii
Binomial name
Geocapromys brownii
J. Fischer, 1829

The Jamaican coney (Geocapromys brownii) is a terrestrial land mammal found in the rocky, forested areas of Jamaica. It is also known as the Jamaican hutia and is endemic to the Island. It is related to the hutias and more distantly to guinea pigs.

[edit] Description

The Jamaican coney is reddish brown in color and ranges in size from about 330 to 445 mm in length. It has the smallest tail of all the species in the genus (approximately 45mm). They have large heads, the largest in the genus and this gives them a squat appearance. They weigh between 1000g and 2000g.

[edit] Reproduction

The female reaches sexual maturity in about 365 days. The average gestation period is 123 days. There are usually 2 offspring per litter.

[edit] References