| 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 |
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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. It is the only extant native land mammal on Jamaica besides bats.
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 1 and 2 kg.
The female reaches sexual maturity in about 365 days. The average gestation period is 123 days. There are usually 2 offspring per litter.
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