The dwarf hutia (''Mesocapromys nana'') is a small, critically endangered, rat-like mammal known only from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. Aside from tracks, it was last seen in 1937 and may be extinct. It gives birth to only a single offspring at a time, and is threatened by habitat loss and non-native species such as rats and

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...

. The dwarf hutia belongs to the

hutia Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands, with most species restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola. Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but at ...

subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of

rodents 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 nat ...

native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct.

Description

The hutias are heavily built guinea pig-like rodents with broad rounded heads. They have relatively small eyes and short rounded ears. The average tail and body length of this hutia is unknown. Some hutias have prehensile tails, meaning they are able to use them for gripping and climbing. Unlike the larger litter sizes of many other rodents, the dwarf hutia gave birth to only a single offspring.

Conservation

The dwarf hutia became Critically Endangered due to

loss of habitat Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and the introduction of

s and

black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

s. The discovery of tracks and droppings in the

Zapata Swamp The Zapata Swamp ( es, Ciénaga de Zapata, ) is located on the Zapata Peninsula in the southern Matanzas Province of Cuba, in the municipality of Ciénaga de Zapata. It is located less than southeast of Havana. Species and preservation Within t ...

gives hopes that this species has survived. It was initially described based on fossil material, but was later found to be extant.

References

Mesocapromys Mammals of Cuba Hutia, dwarf Mammals described in 1917 Taxa named by Glover Morrill Allen Endemic fauna of Cuba {{rodent-stub