Megalomys desmarestii
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox Megalomys desmarestii, also known as the Martinique muskrat,[1] Desmarest's pilorie,[2] or the Martinique giant rice rat,[3] is an extinct rice rat from Martinique in the Caribbean.
Description
It was among the largest species of West Indian rice rats, as big as a cat, and was one of the first Caribbean mammals to become extinct during the 20th century.[1] It may have been semi-aquatic, as it was known to escape into the sea when pursued by predators, but it never swam away from the island.[4]
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 of the island's coconut plantations. It was also hunted for food; however, due to its strong musky odor, this was uncommon. 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 small Indian mongooses is more likely to have been the primary cause of its extinction.[3]
References
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- ↑ a b Watts, David. 1990. The West Indies: Patterns of Development, Culture, and Environmental Change Since 1492. Cambridge University Press Template:ISBN
- ↑ 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. Template:ISBN
- ↑ a b Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
- ↑ Flannery, T. and Schouten, P. 2001. A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals. Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. Template:ISBN
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