Megalomys

Megalomys desmarestii

The Caribbean giant rice rat ( Megalomys ) are a genus of New world whose four species have become extinct all. These rodents were slightly larger than a muskrat: Your body length was about 35 cm, was added an almost equally long tail. These large rats were distributed in four Caribbean islands: Martinique, Barbuda, St. Lucia and Curacao.

• Megalomys desmarestii, Martinique
• Megalomys luciae, Saint Lucia
• Megalomys audreyae, Barbuda
• Megalomys curazensis, Curacao

While M. curazensis is only known fossil from the Pleistocene, survived the three other species into historical time and were eradicated by humans.

M. desmarestii was the largest of the species. The fur was colored reddish brown on the upper side and lower side white. This rat was exceedingly common on Martinique. The Indian aborigines hunted the rats to eat these. As in the 17th century, the French occupied the island, they let the Indians forcibly deported and put on large plantations on which the giant rice rats caused considerable damage. Thereafter, the colonial authorities tried for centuries to exterminate the rats. However, the final extinction brought up the eruption of Mont Pelé, who destroyed the few surviving animals completely.

About M. luciae is far less known. These giant rice rat was colored a bit smaller and uniformly brown. The extinction was probably in the 19th century. Until 1852 there lived a copy at the London Zoo.

M. audreyae is known only from bone fragments. The rats of this kind probably existed when the British took the island of Barbuda in possession in the 17th century. You, however, did not survive the deforestation of the entire shrub vegetation on which only 161 km ² island.

As a next of kin of the giant rice rat, common rice rats ( Oryzomys ) are suspected.