List of extinct rodents explained

This list is of rodent species that are extinct − no longer alive.

Species from related groups such as Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares) are not included.

Before 1500

Image
Castor C. californicus An extinct beaver species Western North America Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene[1]
Castoroides Giant beavers North America Up to 100kg (200lb) Pleistocene
Ceratogaulus Horned gophers North America Smallest horned mammal Late Miocene to Pliocene[2]
Spelaeomys S. florensis A large cave rat - Extinct by 1500[3]
"Giant hutias" A paraphyletic group of rodents resembling large guinea pigs Up to 200kg (400lb) Pleistocene[4]
Leithia Europe (Malta, Sicily) 113g Pleistocene[5]
Neochoerus N. pinckneyi North America 100kg (200lb) Pleistocene[6]
Josephoartigasia J. monesi 'Giant pacarana', largest known rodent South America 1500kg (3,300lb) Pliocene to Early Pleistocene[7]
Phoberomys P. pattersoni A horse-sized rodent North America Probably under 280kg (620lb);[8] earlier estimates up to 700kg (1,500lb)[9] Miocene
Telicomys A giant rodent, to 2m (07feet) long South America Perhaps 70% of size of P. pattersoni Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene

Extinct after 1500

16th century

17th century

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Giant beaver . Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre . Harington, C. R. . March 1996 . 3 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070914223710/http://www.beringia.com/02/02maina6.html . September 14, 2007 .
  2. Hopkins . Samantha S. B. . The evolution of fossoriality and the adaptive role of horns in the Mylagaulidae (Mammalia: Rodentia) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B . 272 . 1573 . 2005 . 1705–1713 . 10.1098/rspb.2005.3171 . 16087426 . 1559849.
  3. Three new giant prehistoric rats from Flores Lesser Sunda Islands . Hooijer, D. A. . Zoologische Mededelingen . Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden . 35 . 21 . 1957 . 299–316 .
  4. Body size in Amblyrhiza inundata (Rodentia: Caviomorpha), an extinct megafaunal rodent from the Anguilla Bank, West Indies: estimates and implications . Biknevicius, A. R. . McFarlane, Donald A. . MacPhee, R. D. E. . American Museum Novitates . 1993 . 3079 . 1–26.
  5. Petronio, C. . I roditori Pleistocenici della Grotta di Spinagallo (Siracusa) . Geol. Rom. . IX . 149–194 . 1970 . (in Italian)
  6. Book: Pleistocene Mammals of North America . Columbia University Press . Kurtén, Björn . Anderson, Elaine . 1980 . 274 . 0-231-03733-3.
  7. Rinderknecht . Andrés . Blanco, R. Ernesto . 2008 . The largest fossil rodent . Proceedings of the Royal Society B . 275 . 1637 . 923–928 . 10.1098/rspb.2007.1645 . 18198140 . 2599941 .
  8. 27755167 . When teeth and bones disagree: Body mass estimation of a giant extinct rodent . Millien, Virginie . Bovy, Helene . Journal of Mammalogy . 2010 . 91 . 1 . 11–18 . 10.1644/08-mamm-a-347r1.1. free .
  9. Sánchez-Villagra, M. R. . Aguilera, O. . Horovitz, I. . The anatomy of the world's largest rodent . Science . 301 . 5640 . 1708–10 . 2003 . 14500978 . 10.1126/science.1089332.

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