Kritimys Temporal range: Early - Middle Pleistocene
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Subfamily: | Murinae |
Genus: | †Kritimys Kuss & Missone, 1968 |
Species | |
K. catreus Bate, 1912 | |
Synonyms | |
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Kritimys, also known as the Cretan giant rat[1] is an extinct genus of murid rodent that was endemic to the island of Crete during the Early and Middle Pleistocene.[2] There are two known species, K. kiridus from the Early-Mid Pleistocene, and its descendant K. catreus from the Middle Pleistocene.[2] It is suggested to be closely related to and probably derived from Praomys.[3] As with most island rodents, Kritimys was larger than its mainland relatives, with its size increasing over time,[4] with K. catreus estimated to weigh 518 grams (1.142 lb), around 6.7 times the weight of its mainland ancestor, an example of island gigantism.[3] The temporal range of the genus is considered to define the regional Kritimys biozone,[2] during which time there were only two other species of mammal native to the island, a species of dwarf mammoth, Mammuthus creticus and the dwarf hippopotamus Hippopotamus creutzburgi. It became extinct during the late Middle Pleistocene, following the arrival of the Mus bateae-minotaurus lineage (which appears to be related to Mus musculus) to the island, exhibiting a decrease in size shortly before its extinction.[5]