The Hispaniolan hutia (''Plagiodontia aedium'') is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to forests on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
). It lives in burrows or trees, and is active at night when it feeds on roots and fruits. A member of the hutia subfamily (
Capromyinae
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 a ...
), it is endangered from habitat loss and introduced species, such as rats or mongoose.
The Hispaniolan hutia is the only living species of the genus ''
Plagiodontia
''Plagiodontia'' is a genus of rodent in the subfamily Capromyinae (hutias). All known species are endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (in the present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti).
The genus name ''Plagiodontia'' means "obli ...
''; the other two species, also native to Hispaniola, are extinct. There are two subspecies, Cuvier's hutia (''P. a. aedium'') and the Dominican hutia (''P. a. hylaeum''). Though many mammals were once native to the island, only the Hispaniolan hutia and the shrew-like
Hispaniolan solenodon
The Hispaniolan solenodon (''Solenodon paradoxus'') is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Like other solenodons, it is a venomous, insect-eating animal that liv ...
, which shares the same forest habitat, are alive today.
Name
The genus name ''Plagiodontia'' means "oblique tooth" in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, referring to its teeth. The common name "hutia" comes, via Spanish ''jutía'', from the animal's name in
Taíno
The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...
, an Indigenous language of the Caribbean.
Description
The head and body length is about , and its tail length is about . The listed adult weight as . In the subspecies , head and body length is , and tail length is 125–145 mm. The short, dense pelage is brownish or grayish on the upper parts and buffy on the underparts. The tail is scaly, and practically naked. Both the forefoot and the hind foot have five digits, all armed with claws (except the thumb, which has a short, blunt nail). Females have three pairs of lateral
thoracic
The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...
mammae
A mammary gland is an exocrine gland in humans and other mammals that produces milk to feed young offspring. Mammals get their name from the Latin word ''mamma'', "breast". The mammary glands are arranged in organs such as the breasts in primat ...
.
Behaviour
Captive hutias have been observed to be nocturnal and arboreal, and to use nest boxes placed high off the ground. Wild specimens are reported to be active only at night; they hide during the day, feed mainly on roots and fruits, and live in male-female pairs. Reports also stated that three or four individuals commonly occupy the same burrow system. Individuals communicate through soft, almost bird-like chirps.
Specimens of the subspecies were caught in December in hollow trees near a
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
; four pregnant females each contained a single embryo. Purportedly, captive female ''P. aedium'' have an
estrous
The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous p ...
cycle of 10 days, a gestation period of 119 days, and apparently bear a single offspring. Recorded gestation has been 123–150 days and
litter
Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups ...
sizes of one to two young in this species, which are highly
precocial
In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...
, unlike most rodents, which are totally helpless when born. A captive ''P. aedium'' was recorded to live for 9 years and 11 months.
Ecology
Hispaniolan hutias inhabit both dry and moist forests on the island. It is reported that they occupy rough hillsides and
ravine
A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.burrows and feed near the ground, and other populations may den in tree cavities and move through the trees, rather than descend to ground level.
Conservation
Two of the three species in this genus are known only by skeletal remains, often found in association with human kitchen middens or introduced
rats
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
. These two species (along with other related hutias on Hispaniola) probably disappeared by the seventeenth century because of excessive hunting by people. ''P. a. aedium'' and ''P. a. hylaeum'' have been greatly reduced in range and numbers and are threatened by
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
, hunting, competition from introduced rodents such as rats and mice, and
predation
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
by the introduced
small Indian mongoose
The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq and northern South Asia; it has also been introduced to many regions of the world, such as several Caribbean and Pacific islands.
Taxonomy
''Mangusta auropu ...
(''Urva auropunctata''), as well as feral
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
s and
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
s. The human population of Hispaniola is increasing, most of the island's forest cover is being cleared for agriculture, and hutias are usually killed whenever encountered.
The IUCN regards ''P. a. hylaeum'' as a subspecies of ''P. aedium''. ''P. a. hylaeum'' is called the Dominican hutia, while the nominate race, ''P. a. aedium'' is referred to as Cuvier's hutia. Recent surveys in Haiti have found ''P. aedium'' to be somewhat more common than once estimated, though still in jeopardy. The IUCN Red List classifies the ''P. aedium'' as "vulnerable". Recent genetic research has identified three distinct populations of ''P. aedium''.
Its presence in several protected areas has recently been confirmed by a Darwin Initiative–funded project known as The Last Survivors; these include Jaragua, Del Este, Los Haitises, and Sierra de Bahoruco National Parks. Hutia population have also been discovered in privately protected areas such as
Punta Cana
Punta Cana is a resort town in the easternmost region of the Dominican Republic. It is part of the Veron–Punta Cana municipal district, in the Higüey municipality of La Altagracia Province. According to the 2010 census, this district had a ...
Ecological Reserve. There were sightings in 2005 which were confirmed photographicallyPhotographs by Eladio M. Fernández ''et al.' West Indian Mammals (site includes the best photos of ''P. aedium'' available on the web) in the Bahoruco region and evidence suggest that this area may have a substantial hutia population in and around the protected area.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Hispaniolan solenodon
The Hispaniolan solenodon (''Solenodon paradoxus'') is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Like other solenodons, it is a venomous, insect-eating animal that liv ...