Megalomys desmarestii
– Extinct
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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RODENTIA
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Family:
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MURIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Megalomys desmarestii
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Species Authority:
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(J. Fischer, 1829)
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Common Name/s:
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ANTILLEAN GIANT RICE RAT (Eng)
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Taxonomic Notes:
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Will be transferred to family Cricetidae.
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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EX ver 2.3 (1994)
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Year Assessed:
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1996
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Annotations:
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Needs updating
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Assessor/s:
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Baillie, J.
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Justification:
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The eruption of the volcano Mount Pelee in the early twentieth century is thought to have resulted in the extinction of this species.
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History:
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| 1994 | - | Extinct (Groombridge 1994) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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M. desmarestii was endemic to Martinique.
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Countries:
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Regionally extinct:
Martinique
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Population
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Population:
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The eruption of the volcano Mount Pelee in the early twentieth century is thought to have resulted in the extinction of the species.
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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This rodent was apparently common in coconut plantations.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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This species was commonly eaten by humans and when European colonists arrived on Martinique they actively killed the animal because of damage to their crops. Its extinction, however, has been attributed to the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902.
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Nowak, R.M. (ed.) 1999. Walkers Mammals of the World. Sixth edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London.
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