| Desmarest's hutia | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Echimyidae |
| Subfamily: | Capromyinae |
| Tribe: | Capromyini |
| Genus: | Capromys |
| Species: | C. pilorides
|
| Binomial name | |
| Capromys pilorides Say, 1822
| |
| Subspecies | |
| |
Desmarest's hutia or the Cuban hutia (Capromys pilorides) is a stout, furry, rat-like mammal found only on Cuba and nearby islands. Growing to about 60 cm (2 ft), it normally lives in pairs and feeds on leaves, fruit, bark and sometimes small animals. It is the largest living hutia (subfamily Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct. Desmarest's hutia remains widespread throughout its range, though one subspecies (C. p. lewisi) native to the nearby Cayman Islands went extinct shortly after European colonization in the 1500s.[2][3]
- ^ Turvey, S.T.; Kennerley, R. (2024). "Capromys pilorides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T3842A22187031. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Species Capromys pilorides". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1594. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Turvey, Sam; Woods, Roseina; MacPhee, R. D. E.; Morgan, Gary S. (2019-03-04). "Late Quaternary fossil mammals from the Cayman Islands, West Indies". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 428. hdl:2246/6928.