The Capricorn rabbit rat (''Conilurus capricornensis'') is an
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
from
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia. It was described as a new species in 2010 on the basis of
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
and
Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...
dental remains. The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
refers to the
Capricorn Caves
Capricorn Caves are located north of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. The limestone caves are one of the largest privately owned cave systems in Australia.
History
It was first discovered in 1881 by Norwegian migrant John Olsen. He went on ...
in Queensland, one of the locations where remains were unearthed.
Some of the
subfossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
material post-dates the
European settlement of Australia
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
, so the Capricorn rabbit rat is a
modern extinction. Since there has not been a targeted survey for the Capricorn rabbit rat, there is a thin hope of its survival, although this is unlikely.
Description
The Capricorn rabbit rat is larger than other
rabbit rat (''Conilurus'') species. Also, unique dental features distinguish it from the
white-footed rabbit rat (''Conilurus albipes'') and the
brush-tailed rabbit rat
The brush-tailed rabbit rat (''Conilurus penicillatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Taxonomy
The brush-tailed rabbit-rat is one of three ''Conilurus'' species that were extant ...
(''Conilurus penicillatus'').
See also
*
List of Australian species extinct in the Holocene
This is a list of Australian species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE) and continues to the present day.
Most Australian me ...
*
Lists of extinct species
This page features lists of extinct species, organisms that have become extinct, either in the wild or completely disappeared from Earth.
In actual theoretical practice, a species not definitely located in the wild in the last fifty years of cu ...
*
Fauna of Australia
The fauna of Australia consists of a huge variety of animals; some 46% of birds, 69% of mammals, 94% of amphibians, and 93% of reptiles that inhabit the continent are endemic to it. This high level of endemism can be attributed to the continent ...
*
Threatened fauna of Australia
Threatened fauna of Australia are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This list is the list proclaimed under t ...
*
List of recently extinct mammals
Recently extinct mammals are defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as any mammals that have become Extinction, extinct since the year 1500 Current Era, CE. Since then, roughly 80 mammal species have become extin ...
References
Conilurus
Extinct rodents
Extinct mammals of Australia
Rodent extinctions since 1500
Mammals of Queensland
Rodents of Australia
{{Murinae-stub