Megaoryzomys curioi

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	CRICETIDAE

Scientific Name:

Megaoryzomys curioi

Species Authority:

(Niethammer, 1964)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Galapágos Giant Rat

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Extinct ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Weksler, M. & Tirira, D.
Reviewer/s:	Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Contributor/s:
Justification: This species is listed as Extinct as it is known only from a subfossil record which showed that is recently occurred on the island and was likely eradicated by numerous invasive species which have been introduced to the island. Exhaustive surveys in suspected habitat throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species was found on the island of Santa Cruz of the Galápagos Islands. It is known only from late Quaternary and subfossil cave deposits. This species is considered to have very recently become extinct (Steadman and Ray, 1982; Musser and Carleton, 2005).
Countries:	Regionally extinct: Ecuador
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The chronology of extinction of Megaoryzomys curioi is very speculative. There are no absolute age determinations available as yet for any mammal-bearing fossil deposit in Galápagos. The possibility of the involvement of feral dogs, cats, pigs, and black rats in its extinction is also suggestive of a recent extinction (Steadman and Ray, 1982).

Population:

The chronology of extinction of Megaoryzomys curioi is very speculative. There are no absolute age determinations available as yet for any mammal-bearing fossil deposit in Galápagos. The possibility of the involvement of feral dogs, cats, pigs, and black rats in its extinction is also suggestive of a recent extinction (Steadman and Ray, 1982).

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The species is through to have occurred in shrub forests.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is extinct.

Major Threat(s):

This species is extinct.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is extinct.

Conservation Actions:

This species is extinct.

Citation:	Weksler, M. & Tirira, D. 2008. Megaoryzomys curioi. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2013.
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