Megaoryzomys
Sign in to saveAlso known as Galápagos giant rat, Megaoryzomys curioi
Megaoryzomys curioi, also known as the Galápagos giant rat, is an extinct species of sigmodontine rodent, known only from Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Islands. It likely met its demise when European settlers introduced invasive species to the island. It is the only species in the genus Megaoryzomys. Its relationships have historically been unclear; it has been placed in both Oryzomyini and Thomasomyini in the past. A 2021 study favoured placing it in the former on overall skull morphology.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Sigmodontinae
- Image
- Megaoryzomys curioi.JPG
Show 4 more facts
- taxon name
- Megaoryzomys
- taxon rank
- genus
- Commons category
- Megaoryzomys
- extinction date
- 1500-00-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
1 sectionsContents
- References
Megaoryzomys curioi, also known as the Galápagos giant rat, is an extinct species of sigmodontine rodent, known only from Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Islands. It likely met its demise when European settlers introduced invasive species to the island. It is the only species in the genus Megaoryzomys. Its relationships have historically been unclear; it has been placed in both Oryzomyini and Thomasomyini in the past. A 2021 study favoured placing it in the former on overall skull morphology.
==References==
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Megaoryzomys” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.