| Majorcan Giant Dormouse Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene-Recent |
|
|---|---|
| Articulated skeletons of Hypnomys morpheus covered by flownstone found in the Cova des Pas de Vallgornera | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Gliridae |
| Genus: | Hypnomys |
| Species: | H. morphaeus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypnomys morphaeus |
|
The Majorcan Giant Dormouse, scientifically known as Hypnomys morphaeus or Eliomys morpheus (Majorca, Spain), is an extinct animal from Europe. It is considered an example of island gigantism. The closest extant relative is considered to be the garden dormouse, genus Eliomys.[1] It is believed to have had an omnivorous diet,[2] and may have been terrestrial rather than arboreal. The arrival of humans on the island is believed to have been a major factor in its extinction.[3] It was described by the palaeontologist Dorothea Bate in 1919. A 2011 study estimated its body weight as between 173 and 284 g and a head and body length of 179 mm and a total body length of 295 mm .[4]