Canariomys
Canariomys is an extinct genus of rodents (Old World rats and mice) that once existed on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands, Spain. These giant rats could reach a weight of about 1 kg (2.2 lb). They were herbivores; their diet was based on plant materials, probably soft vegetables such as roots, ferns, and berries, but not grass.
| Canariomys Temporal range: Pleistocene to Holocene | |
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| Model of Tenerife giant rat at Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: | †Canariomys Crusafont Pairó & Petter, 1964 / Lopez-Martinez & López-Jurado, L. F. (1987) |
| Type species | |
| Canariomys bravoi and Canariomys tamarani | |
It is generally believed that the species of Tenerife lived in a wooded area linked to the laurisilva and that it had climbing abilities, whereas the species of Gran Canaria lived in more open environments and was more linked to the excavation of burrows.
Two species are currently recognized:
- Tenerife giant rat, Canariomys bravoi (Tenerife, Pleistocene)
- Gran Canaria giant rat, Canariomys tamarani (Gran Canaria, Holocene)
References
- Crusafont-Pairo, M. & F. Petter, 1964, "Un Muriné géant fossile des iles Canaries Canariomys bravoi gen. nov., sp. nov", Mammalia, 28,pp 607–612.
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