Plate-toothed giant hutia explained

The plate-toothed giant hutia (Elasmodontomys obliquus) is an extinct species of rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It is the only species within the genus Elasmodontomys. It was found in Puerto Rico.

Description

The rodent is thought to have weighed 13kg (29lb) and survived for at least 2000 years after humans colonised Puerto Rico.[1]

Taxonomy

Despite being described as a "giant hutia", it has recently been recovered as a member of the Chinchilloidea.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Turvey . S. T. . Oliver . J. R. . Narganes Storde . Y. M. . Rye . P. . Late Holocene extinction of Puerto Rican native land mammals . 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0585 . Biology Letters . 3 . 2 . 193–196 . 2007 . 17251123. 2375922 .
  2. Marivaux. Laurent. Vélez-Juarbe. Jorge. Merzeraud. Gilles. Pujos. François. Viñola López. Lázaro W.. Boivin. Myriam. Santos-Mercado. Hernán. Cruz. Eduardo J.. Grajales. Alexandra. Padilla. James. Vélez-Rosado. Kevin I.. 2020-02-12. Early Oligocene chinchilloid caviomorphs from Puerto Rico and the initial rodent colonization of the West Indies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. en. 287. 1920. 20192806. 10.1098/rspb.2019.2806. 0962-8452. 7031660. 32075529.

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