Geocapromys

Geocapromys
Temporal range: Pleistocene to Recent
Mounted specimen of Geocapromys brownii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Capromyidae
Genus: Geocapromys
Chapman, 1901
Species

G. brownii
G. columbianus
G. ingrahami
G. megas
G. pleistocenicus
G. thoracatus

Geocapromys is a genus of rodent, comprising two extant species of hutia. The Bahamian hutia or Ingraham's hutia (G. ingrahami) is native to the Bahamas, while the Jamaican hutia (G. brownii), which is also known as the Jamaican coney or Brown's hutia, is endemic to Jamaica.

The Little Swan Island hutia (G. thoracatus) was a third species which was found only on Little Swan Island, off north-eastern Honduras. It became extinct in 1955, wiped out by storms and introduced predators. Some scientists consider it a subspecies of G. brownii.

G. columbianus, G. megas, and G. pleistocenicus are species known only from fossil remains.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, January 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.