Megalomys desmarestii

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Megalomys desmarestii
Head of a rat, with long vibrissae and large ears, dark above and on the cheeks, lighter below.
Stuffed specimen

Extinct  (1902) (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: †Megalomys
Species:
†M. desmarestii
Binomial name
†Megalomys desmarestii
(J. Fischer, 1829)

Megalomys desmarestii, also known as the Martinique muskrat,[2] Desmarest's pilorie,[3] or the Martinique giant rice rat,[1] is an extinct rice rat from Martinique in the Caribbean.

Description[]

It was among the largest species of West Indian rice rat, as big as a cat, and was one of the first Caribbean mammals to become extinct during the 20th century.[2] It may have been aquatic, as it was known to escape into the sea when pursued by predators, but it never swam away from the island.

Illustration

Extinction[]

It was common on Martinique until the end of the 19th century, when attempts were made to exterminate it because it was considered to be a pest in the island's coconut plantations. It was also hunted for food; however, due to a strong musky odor, cooking required people to singe off its hair, air out the body overnight and boil it in two batches of water.[citation needed] On 8 May 1902, the volcano Mount Pelée erupted, completely destroying the island's principal city of Saint-Pierre. It has been speculated that the rice rat became extinct then or during a later eruption in 1902, but predation by introduced mongooses is more likely to have been the primary cause of its extinction.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Turvey, S.T. & Helgen, K. 2017. Megalomys desmarestii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T12980A22377057. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T12980A22377057.en. Downloaded on 11 March 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Watts, 1990, p. 528
  3. ^ Musser and Carleton, 2005

Literature cited[]

  • Flannery, T. and Schouten, P. 2001. A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals. Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. ISBN 0-87113-797-6
  • Musser, G.G. and Carleton, M.D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894–1531 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
  • Turvey, S. and Helgen, K. 2008. Megalomys desmarestii. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on November 15, 2009.
  • Watts, David. 1990. The West Indies: Patterns of Development, Culture, and Environmental Change Since 1492. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-38651-9
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