The Tumbala Climbing Rat was described in 1901; it is known from a single specimen that was collected from the tropical forest that formerly covered the area that today is occupied by the town of Tumbalá in Chiapas, Mexico.
The locality is now more or less completely deforested, thus the species’ habitat is lost, making the survival of the The Tumbala Climbing Rat highly improbable, it is very likely extinct.
***
The closest relative of the Tumbala Climbing Rat is Peter’s Climbing Rat (Tylomus nudicaudus (Peters)) that is quite widespread and is found in most of Central America, it is depicted below.
The Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat was described in 1920 from only two specimens collected from Mt. Manusela on the island of Seram, Indonesia at an altitude of 1830 m.
The animals reach a length of 24.5 to 27.5 cm (including the tail).
The original habitat is now highly modified by human activities and the species is probably extinct.
***
syn. Pogonomelomys fraterculus (Thomas), Seram, Uromys fraterculus Thomas
The Japanese wolf, the smallest form of wolf, lived on the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Some of the native names were Nihon Okami, Okami and Yamainu.
***
The end of the Japanese wolf began with the ever-increasing deforestation for agriculture and livestock breeding but came to a head with the introduction of rabies to Japan in 1732, which killed countless individuals. But there were also targeted extermination programs against the alleged ‘cattle killer’ using poisoned bait. The last known Japanese Wolf was killed in the Nara Prefecture on the island of Honshu in 1905.
***
The Japanese island of Hokkaido was home to a different form of wolf, which is genetically closer to the common Wolf (Canis lupus L.) which can therefore be assigned to it as a subspecies.
Depiction from: ‘S. F. Harmer; A. E. Shipley: The Cambridge Natural History. London, Macmillan and Co., Limited 1895-1909’
(public domain)
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References:
[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010 [2] N. Ishiguro; Y. Inoshima; N. Shigehara; H. Ichikawa; M. Kato: Osteological and genetic analysis of the extinct Ezo wolf (Canis lupus hattai) from Hokkaido Island, Japan. Zoological Science 27(4): 320-324. 2010
This North African species was described in 1870 based on fossil remains that were dated to the Upper Pleistocene, however, some remains apparently turned out to be much younger, thus the species might have survived until about 3000 years BP..
***
I was unfortunately unable to find any source for that assumption.
The Island Woodrat was described in 1912, it was restricted to the Isla Ángel del la Guardia in the Gulf of California, Mexico.The species reached a length of 29 cm (including the tail).
The Island Woodrat is officially considered ‘Critically Endangered’ but is in fact almost certainly completely extinct.
The Mt. Kahuzi Climbing Mouse was described in 1969; the species is known only from two specimens, a male and a female that were collected in 1967 and 1972 respectively.
The species is (or was) known only from the forests at Mount Kahuzi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; it is highly threatened by illegal logging and habitat destruction and, having never been found since 1972, might actually already be extinct.
The Puebla Deermouse was described in 1898, it is known only from two specimens which were collected at the cities of Ciudad Serdán and Tehuacan in southeastern Puebla, Mexico.
The species was last seen around 1948, the places where it was found are now heavily degraded by agricultural conversion and it is believed to be extinct.
Radofilao’s Sloth Lemur was described in 1990 based on subfossil remains that were found in some limestone caves along the northern coast of Madagascar, and which could be dated to ages of about 3100 to 2800 BCE..
This species is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from archaeological sites on the small island of La Desirade off the northeast coast of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles.
The remains were dated to about 600 to 1400 AD.. [1][2]
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References:
[1] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
[2] Myriam Boudadi-Maligne; Salvador Bailon; Corentin Bochaton; Fabrice Casagrande; Sandrine Grouard; Nathalie Serrand; Arnaud Lenoble: Evidence for historical human-induced extinctions of vertebrate specieson La Désirade (French West Indies). Quaternary Research 85: 54-65. 2016
The Lesser Guam Flying Fox was found exclusively on the island of Guam, Marianna Islands; it shared its habitat with another flying fox species, the Larger Marianas Flying Fox (Pteropus mariannus Desmarest), which survives to this day.
The locals of the island considered both species, which they both called fanihi, as a delicacy and therefore hunted them in large numbers, which ultimately became fatal to the smaller of the two species.
The last two specimens were seen in 1967 or 1968, a female and a juvenile, the female was shot, the juvenile escaped.
All that remains of this species are two specimens (see photo).
***
The Lesser Guam Flying Fox was most closely related to the Chuuk Flying Fox (Pteropus pelagicus Kittlitz), which is common on some atolls and islands of the Chuuk Archipelago in Micronesia.
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Photo from: ‘Donald W. Buden; Kristofer M. Helgen; Gary J. Wiles: Taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of flying foxes (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) in the Mortlock Islands and Chuuk State, Caroline Islands. ZooKeys 345: 97–135. 2013. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.345.5840’
The Lesser Stick-Nest Rat, which is also known as White-tipped Stick-Nest Rat, is a true rodent that formerly inhabited the arid regions of central Australia, where it appears to have formerly been quite widespread.
The species is known to have accumulated large mounds of sticks over years to construct its nests which then could grow to sizes of about 3 m in length and 1 m in height; these nests were placed at the foot of a tree or inside a natural cave.
Native people that were questioned in the 1980s could well remember these conspicuous nests.:
“Many people knew stick-nest rats by the large nests remaining in breakaway caves and from the stories that have been handed down about their former occupants. Only the very oldest people could remember nests other than in caves …. We could find no evidence that more than one species was recognised [sic].” [1]
The natives did not distinguish between the two known species and indiscriminately called both of them Purnuwuru, Tjuyalpi, Yininma or Yintjurrka.
The Lesser Stick-Nest Rat disappeared during the 1930s or the 1940s; however, there apparently was a sighting of a single individual in the 1970s.
“Once apparently very common, at least in some places, since Giles (1889) reported abundant nests out in the open in some areas. However, Spencer (1896) had difficulty in obtaining specimens near Alice Springs, so it may have already been in decline by then. In the 1930s Tindale shot ciné-photography in north-western South Australia of Aborigines huting [sic] stick-nest rats with the aid of dogs.” [1]
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Depiction from: ‘John Gould: The Mammals of Australia. London: Taylor & Francis 1863’
(public domain)
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References:
[1] Andrew A. Burbridge; Ken A. Johnson; Phillip J. Fuller; R. I. Southgate: Aboriginal knowledge of the mammals of the central deserts of Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 15: 9-39. 1988
This is one of two species of rice rats that formerly were endemic to the Isla Isabela in the Galápagos Islands, it disappeared sometimes during the middle of the 19th to the early 20th century.
This species was described in 1899 based on subfossil remains that had been found in Madagascar.
The Large Sloth Lemur was apparently restricted to the southern part of Magadascar
***
The species is known to have survived into the 17th century, bones from a remote cave in the interiror of southern Madagascar could be dated to an age of about 1285 to 1625 AD. The species is mentioned in Malagasy folklore accounts as the tratratratra or tretretretre and was also mentioned by Étienne de Flacourt, who was the french governor of Madagascar from 1648 to 1655.:
“The Tretretretre, or Tratratratra, is an animal as large as a two-year- old calf, and which has a round head and a man’s face; the fore-feet like those of a Monkey, and the hind ones also. It has curled hair, a short tail, and ears like those of a man. … It has been seen near Lake Lipomani, in the vicinity of which is ils lair. It is a very solitary animal, which the people of the country hold in great fear and run away from, as it also does from them.” [1]
I have not yet read the original, which is in French, and there are several translations, which sometimes mention a Lake Lipomani or a Lipomani Lagoon, which I could not detect yet.
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References:
[1] Étienne de Flacourt: Histoire de la grande Isle Madagascar composée par le Sieur de Flacourt, Directeur Général de la Compagnie Françoise de l’Orient, & Commandant pour sa Majesté dans ladite Isle & és Isles adjacentes. Avec une Relation de ce qui s’est passé és année 1655. 1656. & 1657. non encore veuë par la premiere Impression, Paris: Gervais Clovzier 1661 [2] David A. Burney; Ramilisonina: The Kilopilopitsofy, Kidoky, and Bokyboky: Accounts of strange animals from Belo-sur-mer, Madagascar, and the megafaunal “extinction window”. American Anthropologist 100(4): 957-966. 1999
This species was described in 2011 based on the dried skin and skull of an adult male that had been collected in 1937; it was apparently restricted to a small area at Mt. Choqa in north-western Ethiopia
It is believed that the species was last seen in 1968; it might now be extinct.
This species was described in 1887 on the basis of fossils that were found in Pleistocene deposits in Brazil; additional material was later also found in deposits that could be dated to the Early Holocene.
The same species, however, was recently recorded based on subfossil remains from the Late Holocene of Argentinia, thus it appears to have survived there and was then extirpated by humans, maybe even after the arrival of the first European settlers in the 15th century. [1]
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References:
[1] Diego H. Verzi; A. Itarí Olivares; Patricia Hadler; Juan C. Castro; Eduardo P. Tonni: Occurrence of Dicolpomys (Echimyidae) in the late Holocene of Argentinia: The most recently extinct South American caviomorph genus. Quaternary International 490: 123-131. 2018
The St. Martin Rice Rat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from an archaeological site named Hope Estate on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles.
The species survived into the Holocene, most likely even well into the 19th century. [1]
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References:
[1] Elizabeth Reitz; C. Margaret Scarry; Sylvia J. Scudder: Case Studies in Environmental Archaeology (Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology). Springer; Second Edition 2007
Goff’s Southeastern Pocket Gopher, described in 1944, was a subspecies of the Southeastern Pocket Gopher (Geomys pinetis Rafinesque) that was endemic to Brevard County in Florida, USA.
This form inhabited temperate deserts and sandy coastlines, it lost its habitat due to human population growth and development; it was last recorded in 1955 and is now considered extinct.
The Mace-tailed Glyptodon was a remarkable giant armadillo that inhabited large parts of the South American continent.
The species reached a heigth of about 1,5 m and was up to 3,6 m long; its weight is estimated to have been about 1400 to 2370 kg.
This is very likely a Pleistocene species, that disappeared at the end of that era, however, there are some remains that had been dated to an age of 8000 to 7000 years ago, which suggests that it in fact might have survived into the earliest Holocene; these dates, however, are questioned by some scientists.
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Depiction from: Henry Robert Knipe: Evolution in the past. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Company 1911
Pemberton’s Deermouse was restricted to the Isla San Pedro Nolasco in the Culf of California, Baja California, Mexico.
The species reached a legth of about 21 cm (including the tail), its fur was cinnamon-colored and flecked with some fine darker lines the head was slightly ligther colored and the belly was white.
Pemberton’s Deermouse was described in 1932 based on 12 specimens that had been collected on December 26, 1931 by Dr. William Hendy Burt of the California Institute of Technology, it was never found again.
The Estanque Deermouse was endemic to the Isla Estanque, a tiny, only 0,83 km² large islet south to Isla Ángel de la Guarda in the Gulf of California, Baja California, Mexico. However, this particular population apparently was never officially described and may in fact have been identical to the nominate subspecies inhabiting Isla Ángel de la Guarda.
Anyway, whether endemic or not, the deermice of Isla Estanque are gone now, the whole population appears to have been wiped out within a single year (1998 to 1999) by a single feral cat! [1]
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References:
[1] Ella Vázquez-Domínguez; Gerardo Ceballos; Juan Cruzado: Extirpation of an insular subspecies by a single introduced cat: the case of the endemic deer mouse Peromyscus guardia on Estanque Island, Mexico. Oryx 38(3): 347-350. 2004
The Hispaniolan Edible Rat was described in 1916 based on subfossil remains.
Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a Spanish colonialist, historian, and writer gave some brief descriptions of several mammal species that lived on the island of Hispaniola in the early 16th century; most are second-hand accounts of animals he himself had not seen; there is also one account that can be attributed to the Edible Rat.:
“The mohuy is an animal somewhat smaller than the hutia: its color is paler and likewise gray. This was the food most valued and esteemed by the caciques and chiefs of this island; and the character of the animal was much like the hutia except that the hair was denser and coarser (and more stiff), and very pointed and standing erect or straight above. I have not seen this animal, but there are many who declared it to be as aforesaid; and in this island there are many persons who have seen it and eaten it, and who praise this meat as better than all the others we have spoken about.” [1]
The species died out shortly after the arrival of the first European settlers in the Caribbean, who brought with them mice and rats, which very likely were the main reason for the extinction of most smaller endemic mammal species.
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References:
[1] Gerrit S. Miller: Mammals eaten by Indians, Owls, and Spaniards in the coast region of the Dominican Republic. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 82(5): 1-16. 1929
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Photo from: ‘Gerrit S. Miller: Mammals eaten by Indians, Owls, and Spaniards in the coast region of the Dominican Republic. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 82(5): 1-16. 1929’
This species is known only from subfossil remains that were recovered from deposits from the Andrahomana cave in southeast Madagascar.
The remains can be dated to an age of about 3000 years.
***
The photo below shows another species from the same genus, the Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata G. Grandidier) from northern and northwestern Madagascar.
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References:
[1] S. M. Goodman; N. Vasey; D. A. Burney: Description of a new species of subfossil shrew tenrec (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae: Microgale) from cave deposits in southeastern Madagascar. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 120(4): 367-376. 2007
The Alor Giant Rat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from cave deposits on the island of Alor in the Lesser Sundas, Indonesia.
The species was larger than most recent rat species and might have survived into quite recent times, the authors of the description in fact assume that it might be still alive today. [1]
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References:
[1] Julien Louys; Sue O’Connor; Mahirta; Pennilyn Higgins; Stuart Hawkins; Tim Maloney: New genus and species of giant rat from Alor Island, Indonesia. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity 11(4): 503-510. 2018
Mejia Island Deermouse (Peromyscus guardia ssp. mejiae)
The Mejia Island Deermouse, described in 1932, was a subspecies of the Guarda Deermouse (Peromyscus guardia Townsend) and was endemic to the tiny Isla Mejía in the Gulf of California, Baja California, Mexico.
This mouse was last recorded in 1973 but disappeared sometimes after that date due to predation by introduced cats and competition by likewise introduced mice and rats. [1]
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References:
[1] Erik Mellink; Gerardo Ceballos; Jaime Luévano: Population demise and extinction threat of the Angel de la Guarda deer mouse (Peromyscus guardia) Biological Conservation 108: 107-111. 2007
This species is known from subfossil remains that were excavated on the island of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles.
The species was formerly just named as Cricetidae gen. & sp. ‘Grenada’, it was finally formally described in 2021.[1]
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References:
[1] Brittany A. Mistretta; Christina M. Giovas; Marcelo Weksler; Samuel T. Turvey: Extinct insular oryzomyine rice rats (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from the Grenada Bank, southern Caribbean. Zootaxa 4951(3): 434-460. 2021
The Jamaican Rice Rat was described in 1898; it was restricted to the island of Jamaica.
The species reached a size of about 26 cm (including the tail); it was furthermore described as: “Color. Above rufous sparsely lined with black, brightest on the rump; head suffused with grayish; under parts yellowish, hairs gray at base; tail pale brown above, lighter beneath; hands and feet whitish; ears blackish outside, yellowish inside.“. [1]
In 1872, Small Indian Mongooses (Urva auropunctata (Hodgson)) had been imported to Jamaica to control the likewise introduced rats in the sugarcane plantations; the mongooses, however, were also very effective in eradicating the native rodents. Feral cats and dogs certainly played their part too and finally, in 1877, the Jamaican Rice Rats were seen for the last time.
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References:
[1] Daniel Giraud Elliot: The Land and Sea Mammals of Middle America and the West Indies. Publication of the field Columbian Museum, Zoological Series 4(1). 1904
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Photo from: ”Clayton E. Ray: The Oryzomyine Rodents of the Antillean Subregion. Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Harvard University, 2111 pp. 1962′
Darwin’s Galapagos Mouse was described in 1929; it was endemic to the Isla Santa Cruz in the Galápagos archipelago.
It reached lengths of about 22 cm, including the tail; it was predominantly cinnamon rufous colored, the upper parts with a mixture of blackish hairs, the tail was dusky above and whitish below. [1]
Darwin’s Galapagos Mouse was last seen in 1930; the species disappeared shortly after, perhaps due to the introduction of Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout)), Black Rats (Rattus rattus (L.)), and feral cats.
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References:
[1] Wilfred H. Osgood: A new rodent from the Galapagos Islands. Field Museum of Natural History 17(2): 21-24. 1929
Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni)
A male, named Sudan, was the last male Northern White Rhinoceros in the world, it died today, at the 9. March 2018, leaving behind the last two individuals of its [sub]species, both females.
The Northern White Rhinoceros is now functionally extinct.
Dick’s Tuco-tuco, a subspecies of the Magellanic Tuco-tuco (Ctenomys magellanicus Bennett) was described in 1943, it is, or was, restricted to the Isla Riesco in the south of Chile.
The Saba Rice Rat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from an archaeological site named Kelbey’s Ridge on the small island of Saba in the Caribbean Netherlands.
The remains of this species were dated to about 1290 to 1400 AD.. [1][2]
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References:
[1] Elizabeth Reitz; C. Margaret Scarry; Sylvia J. Scudder: Case Studies in Environmental Archaeology (Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology). Springer; Second Edition 2007 [2] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
The Santa Cruz Rice Rat was described in 1899, it was restricted to the Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands.
The species disappeared soon after its description due to the introduction of Black Rats (Rattus rattus (L.)) and feral cats.
***
The Fernandina Rice Rat (Nesorhyzomys narboroughi Heller), one of only four Galápagos Islands rice rat species surviving until today, was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Santa Cruz Rice Rat.
Goodman’s Trident Bat was described in 2007; it is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from the Grotte d’Anjohibe in the former Mahajanga Province in northern Madagascar.
The species apparently lived in sympatry with several other bat species, including the congeneric Menamena Trident Bat (Triaenops menamena Goodman & Ranivo), which still survives until today.
Goodman’s Trident Bat apparently disappeared at the beginning of the Holocene.
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References:
[1] K. E. Samonds: Late Pleistocene bat fossils from Anjohibe Cave, northwestern Madagascar. Acta Chiropterologica 9(1):39–65. 2007
Emma’s Giant Rat was described in 1994, based on a single female specimen that had been cought in 1964, it apparently was endemic to the very small island of Owi, near Biak in the New Guinean part of Indonesia.
The species is believed to have mainly been arboreal, nothing else is known about its biology.
The Red Gazelle is known from three specimens that were found on markets in northern Algeria in the late 19th century, which today are kept in museums in London, Great Britain and Paris, France.
It is a enigmatic taxon which in fact might not even be a true species, it is thus treated by the IUCN as Data Deficient.
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Depiction from: ‘H. A. Bryden: Great and small game of Africa: an account of the distribution, habits, and natural history of the sporting mammals, with personal hunting experiences. London: Rowland Ward, limited 1899’
East Greenland Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus ssp. eogroenlandicus)
The East Greenland Reindeer was a subspecies of the Reindeer that was restricted to the coastal areas of eastern Greenland.
The form was probably most closely related to the Svalbard Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus ssp. platyrhynchus), which itself is endemic to the Svalbard archipelago in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
The East Greenland Reindeer disappeared around 1900, most likely due to overhunting; all reindeers that are found on Greenland today are domesticated ones.
The White-eared Pocket Mouse was described in 1894; the species, which is split into two subspecies, is apparently restricted to the San Bernardino- and Tehachapi Mountains in California, USA.
The species, together with two additional closely related ones, is considered a Pleistocene relict.
The nominate race was restricted to a small area of around 4 km² at Strawberry Peak and Squirrel Inn in the San Bernardino Mountains, where it was recorded between 1920 and 1933; it was not found since and is thus believed to be extinct. [1]
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References:
[1] Philip V. Brylski: White-eared Pocket Mouse, Perognathus alticola alticola. Terrestrial Mammal Species of Special Concern in California, Bolster, B. C., Ed., 1998. 102-104
The Giant Vampire Bat was described in 1988 based on bones that were recovered from deposits of a cave in the state of Monagas, northern Venezuela. Further remains were found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico.
The exact age of these bones cannot be determined, they may be of late Pleistocene or early Holocene age, some scientists even think that this species may still exist. [1]
***
The Giant Vampire Bat wasn’t a real giant, in fact it was only 30% larger than its next living relative, the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus Geoffroy) (see photo).
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References:
[1] G. S. Morgan; O. J. Linares; C. E. Ray: New species of fossil vampire bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Desmodontidae) from Florida and Venezuela”. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 101(4): 912–928. 1988
The New Caledonian Roundleaf Bat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from Holocene deposits in the Mé Auré Cave near the southern shore of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
The remains were compared to the bones of several other congeneric species from the nearest regions but did not match to any of them, thus it most likely was a distinct species that might well have been endemic to New Caledonia. [1]
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References:
[1] Suzanne J. Hand; Jack A. Grant-Mackie: Late-Holocene bats of Mé Auré Cave, New Caledonia: Evidence of human consumption and a new species record from the recent past. The Holocene 22(1): 79-90. 2011
The Great Kai Island Giant Rat was described in 1923, it is known from three specimens that had been collected on the island of Kai Besar in the New Guinean part of Indonesia.
The species reached a total length of about 36 cm including the relatively short tail.
***
The Great Kai Island Giant Rat is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the White-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys caudimaculatus (Krefft)) or is considered synonymous to the Aru White-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys caudimaculatus ssp. aruensis (Laurie & Hill)).
The Biak Giant Rat was described in 1994, the species is known from a single male specimen that had been collected in 1963 on the island of Biak in the New Guinean part of Indonesia.
The species reached a total length of nearly 50 cm, including the tail.
***
The Biak Giant Rat is officially listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ but given the amount of deforestation on its island home it most likely is already extinct.
This species is known from subfossil material that was found on the island of Bonaire offshore the northern coast of Venezuela, and that was dated to Late Holocene age. [1]
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References:
[1] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
The Western Cuban Nesophontes was described in 1917 based on subfossil remains that were recovered from cave deposits on the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola.
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Photo from: ‘G. M. Allen: Fossil Mammals from Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 62: 131-148. 1918’
The Lord Howe Long-eared Bat, described in 1975, is known from a single subfossil specimen, an incomplete skull that had been found some years prior on a ledge in the Gooseberry Cave on Lord Howe Island; the age of this skull was estimated to be between 100 and 50 years.
There is also an account from the late 1800s that may be referrable to this species.:
“The only indigenous lower mammals existing on Lord Howe are bats, but even these are not plentiful. A single specimen of Scotophilus morio, Gray [Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio (Gray))], similar to those obtained by Morton was shot by Mr. Unwin, and a larger species was occasionally seen. The “gardens” and other clearings are their favourite haunts, but they are sometimes seen flying around the cottages.” [1]
All attempts to find additional bone material or even living specimens of the species were unsuccessful and it is now considered extinct.
***
The photo below shows the closely related Lesser Long-eared Bat (Nyctophilus geoffreyi Leach) which is found in continental Australia where it appears to be quite common and widespread.
[1] Robert Etheridge: The general zoology of Lord Howe Island; containing also an account of the collections made by the Australian Museum Collecting Party, Aug.-Sept., 1887. Australian Museum Memoir 2(1): 1-42. 1889
San Martin Island Woodrat (Neotoma bryanti ssp. martinensis)
The San Martín Island Woodrat was restricted to the Isla San Martín offshore the coast of Baja California Norte, Mexico.
Like its close relative, the Anthony’s Woodrat (Neotoma bryanti ssp. anthonyi J. A. Allen) on the Isla Todos Santos, this form was extirpated by feral cats that had been introduced to the island.
The Chadwick Beach Cotton Deermouse was a subspecies of the Cotton Deermouse (Peromyscus gossypinus (Le Conte)) that was restricted to a small area along the coast of southwestern Sarasota County in Florida, USA.
The subspecies was described in 1939, apparently from specimens collected one year earlier, it was never found again and is now thought to be extinct.
Galapagos Rice Rat (Aegialomys galapagoensis ssp. galapagoensis)
“In 1835, when Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands, he found a native mouse inhabiting Chatham Island [Isla San Cristóbal] and supposed it to be the only indigenous mammal of the islands. This species was described as Mus galapagoensis by Waterhouse … who adds Darwin’s notation as follows: “This mouse or rat is abundant in Chatham Island. I could not find it on any other island of the group.” From this it is evident that Darwin made an effort to obtain further rodents, but his narrative seems to indicate that he did not spend any time on Narborough and Indefatigable islands, the principal ones from which specimens have been taken subsequently.” [1]
The Galapagos Rice Rat is one of several virtually unknown endemic rodent species that inhabit, or inhabited, the Galápagos Islands.
This species, which might include two subspecies, is known from at least two, maybe three, of the islands, with Isla San Cristóbal having been inhabited by the nominate, which was endemic to that island.
This form was apparently last collected in 1855 by Charles Darwin himself during the second voyage of HMS Beagle, it must have gone extinct only some decades later and all subsequent findings were of subfossil remains only.
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References:
[1] Wilfred H. Osgood: A new rodent from the Galapagos Islands. Field Museum of Natural History 17(2): 21-24. 1929
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Depiction from: ‘John Gould: The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, during the years 1832-1836. Part III, Birds. London, Smith, Elder & Co. 1838’
This is an up to date undescribed and thus unnamed species that is known exclusively from subfossil remains that had been found on Isla Isabele, Galápagos Islands. [1]
***
The Isabela sp. is apparently sometimes considered conspecific with the Galapagos Giant Rice Rat (Megaoryzomys curioi (Niethammer)) from the Isla Santa Cruz, another extinct rice rat species known only from subfossil remains.
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References:
[1] Gustavo Jiménez-Uzcátegui; Bryan Milstead; Cruz Márquez; Javier Zabala; Paola Buitrón; Alizon Llerena; Sandie Salazar; Birgit Fessl: Galapagos vertebrates: endangered status and conservation actions. Galapagos Report 2006-2007
The Guadalcanal Giant Rat, described in 1904, was endemic to the island of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, it is known from a single male specimen that had been cought sometimes between 1886 and 1888.
The species shared its habitat with another species of the same genus, the Emperor Rat (Uromys imperator (Thomas)), in contrast to that species, the Guadalcanal Giant Rat was not a giant at all, it reached a total length of only 35 cm, being half he size of its larger congener.
The Guadalcanal Giant Rat is now most likely extinct, the main reason for this are the same as in its congeneric ‘cousin’ – predation by introduced feral cats.
This species is up to now undescribed, it is known from subfossil remains that had been found on the island of Marie Galante offshore Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. [1]
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References:
[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. Wiley-Blackwell 2010
The Giant Tapir inhabited parts of China and probably also additional regions of Asia, it is mainly a Pleistocene species that very probably survived into the early Holocene.
The species was the largest known member of its family, it reached a length of over 2 to 3,5 m and a shoulder height of about 0,9 to 1,5 m
The Bluebuck was described in 1766; during the Late Pleistocene, the species was very widespread in South Africa, but the populations began to shrink following climatical changes at the beginning of the Holocene, in historical times, the species was finally restricted to a relict population that inhabited a rather small region at the southern tip of South Africa.
The species had a generally bluish gray fur, the upper lip and a patch in front of the eye were somewhat lighter, the forehead was brown, the belly was whitish.
The Bluebuck was hunted to extinction by European settlers, it is actually the first African mammal to become extinct in historical times, the last individuals were killed in 1799 or 1800.
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Depiction from: ‘Francis Harper: Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Old World. New York, American Committee for international wildlife protection. Special Publication No. 12. 1945’
North African Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus ssp. buselaphus)
The North African Hartebeest [which is a monotypic species in my opinion] was once widely distributed all over northern Africa, including Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Libya, and Morocco, and occurred probably also in Palestine and some parts of Saudi Arabia.
The animal reached a shoulder height of up to 1,5 m.
The North African Hartebeest was already well known to the ancient Egyptians and the Romans and can be found depicted Roman mosaics.
The species begun to disappear during the second half of the 19th century – due to direct hunting, especially during the French conquest of Algeria between 1830 and 1847, when thousands of the antelopes were killed by French soldiers just for amusement.
The last known individual was shot in the year 1925 in Morocco.
***
Yet, the species may have survived in the wild for a longer time than previously known – some bones, found 1998 in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt inside of an abandoned hyena burrow could be dated to about 1960.
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References:
[1] A. J. Mills: Report presented to the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egypt, on the 2000 Season of the Dakhleh Oasis Projekt. Dakhleh Oasis Project SCA Report: 1999/2000 Season
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Depiction from: ‘P. L. Sclater; O. Thomas: The Book of Antelopes. London: R. H. Porter 1894-1900’
The Kenyan Oribi is one of the about nine subspecies of the Oribi (Ourebia ourebi Zimmerman), a small antelope species that is distributed over several parts of central-, eastern- and even southern Africa; it was apparently restcicted to the slopes of Mt. Kenya.
This form apparently died out in the wild sometimes during the 1960s and was subsequently kept in captivity for some time; its actual extinction date obviously is not known but is believed to be sometimes during the 1980s.
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Oribi (Ourebia ourebi), nominate form?
Depiction from: ‘P. L. Sclater; O. Thomas: The Book of Antelopes. London: R. H. Porter 1894-1900’
The Singapore Whiskered Bat was described in the year 1840.
The species, however, is known only from the type, which, moreover, is damaged, furthermore it is quite impossible that a bat species should be restricted to such a small region as Singapore.
***
The ‘species’ thus is mentioned here only for the sake of completeness.
The Cozumel Fox is an enigmatic, up to now undescribed species that is or was endemic to the island of Cozumel, Mexico.
The species is known from subfossil remains of which some have been recovered during archaeological excavations of Mayan middens, which date to an age of 1500 to 500 years.
The Cozumel Fox was smaller than its mainland congeners. [1]
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References:
[1] M. E. Gompper; A. E. Petrites; R. L. Lyman: Cozumel Island fox (Urocyon sp.) dwarfism and possible divergence history based on subfossil bones. Jouranl of Zoology 270(1): 72-77. 2006
The Twisted-toothed Mouse was described in 1929 based on subfossil remains, mainly teeth, which were recovered from cave deposits found both in the Dominican Republic as well as in Haiti, Hispaniola.
The species must have reached a size of 60 to 80 cm in length and might have weighed as much as about 20 kg.
There are contemporary reports from the 16th century which tell us of an animal called Quemi that was hunted and eaten by the native people of Hispaniola; these reports may refer to this species or maybe to the Hispaniolan Hutia (Plagiodontia aedium (F. Cuvier), a species that still exists.
This form, which hitherto has not been described, is known from subfossil material that was found on the island of Guadelopue in the Lesser Antilles. [1]
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References:
[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. Wiley-Blackwell 2010
The Laloumena Hippopotamus was described in 1990, it is the largest of the three known Malagasy Hippopotamus species, reaching almost the size of an African Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius L.).
This species is known from Pleistocene deposits that can be dated to an age of around 20000 years before present, but also from much younger remains that clearly are of Holocene age. [1][2]
***
It is quite possible that this species begun to disappear due to changes in the climatical conditions of Madagascar, leading to a drier climate, but it was very likely finally wiped out by humans.
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References:
[1] M. Faure; C. Guérin: Hippopotamus laloumena nov. sp., la troisième espèce d’hippopotame holocène de Madagascar. Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences. Ser. II 310: 1299-1305. 1990 [2] Martine Faure; Claude Guérin; Dominique Genty; Dominique Gommery; Beby Ramanivosoa: Le plus ancien hippopotame fossile (Hippopotamus laloumena) de Madagascar (Belobaka, Province de Mahajanga). Comptes Rendus Palevol 9(4): 155-162. 2010
Large Montserrat Rice Rat (Cricetidae gen. & sp. A)
The Large Montserrat Rice Rat is an up to day undescribed species whose subfossil remains were found at an unnamed archaeological site on the island of Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles.
The species was sympatric with another closely related, yet smaller species which is likewise only known from subfossil remains. [1]
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References:
[1] Gregory K. Pregill; David W. Steadman; David R. Watters: Late Quaternary vertebrate faunas of the Lesser Antilles: historical components of Caribbean biogeography. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 30: 1-51. 1994
The Giant Island Deermouse was described in 1936 based on subfossil remains, the species was restricted to San Miguel – and Santa Rosa Islands, two of the Channel Islands offshore southwestern California, USA.
The species is believed to have disappeared sometimes between 2000 years ago and 1860, probably due to the accidental introduction of the North American Deermouse (Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner)) by the Chumash, the native people of that region.
The Tyrrhenian Vole was described in 1905 based on subfossil remains that had been recovered from cave deposits, the species is known from Corsica as well as from nearby Sardinia.
The species is thought to have survived until about 2000 BCE, and to have disappeared due to the predation by introduced dogs, foxes and weasels.
This species was described in 2000 based on (sub)fossil bones found on the Haitian part of the island of Hispaniola.
The species disappeared at the beginning of the Holocene era. [1]
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References:
[1] R. D. E. MacPhee; Jennifer L. White; Charles A. Woods: New megalonychid sloths (Phyllophaga, Xenarthra) from the Quaternary of Hispaniola. American Museum Novitates 3303: 1-32. 2000
The Syrian Elephant was a subspecies of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus L.) that formerly inhabited the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin, a region that today often is called the ‘Middle East’.
The males reached heights of about 2,9 m, females of about 2,6 m.
The last populations disappeared at around 100 BC..
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References:
[1] Ebru Albayrak: The ancient Asian elephant of Turkey in the light of new specimens: Does it have regional features? Quaternary Science Reviews 218: 189-199. 2019
The Lake Mackey Hare-Wallaby, also known as Central Hare-Wallaby, is a not well-known small kangaroo species that was inhabiting the arid desert areas in the Northern Territory of Australia.
The species was described in 1943; it is known from a single specimen that had been caught in 1931 or 1932; only the skull was prepared and preserved.
***
The Natives of the region knew the species very well, they had many names for it and could still recall many facts about it in the 1980s.:
“fur soft, long and grey …, long hair on top of feet, extending to the ground …, tail relatively short and thickened, a small wallaby similar in size to B. lesuer [Lesueur’s Rat-Kangaroo (Bettongia lesueur (Quoy & Gaimard))], hopped ‘like a kangaroo’. Many people referred to it as the ‘quiet one’ or ‘deaf one’ or sometimes ‘stupid one’ because it did not flush from its shelter. It was hunted by tracking to its hide and killed by spearing. Sometimes it could be caught by hand. The fur was spun to make belts.” [1]
According to the same native people, the species must have disappeared sometimes during the 1960’s.
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References:
[1] Andrew A. Burbridge; Ken A. Johnson; Phillip J. Fuller; R. I. Southgate: Aboriginal knowledge of the mammals of the central deserts of Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 15: 9-39. 1988
This subspecies of the North American Deermouse (Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner)) was endemic to the Isla San Roque in the Baja California, Mexico.
The island population disappeared due to the introduction of cats, which not only preyed upon the mice but also largely destroyed the seabird colonies.
***
This subspecies is not accepted by all zoologists.
The Saint Lucia Giant Rice Rat, also known as Saint Lucia Pilorie, was a very large rodent that formerly was restricted to the island of Saint Lucia in the Lesser Antilles.
The species was the second largest rice rat of the Caribbean, it almost reached the size of a cat.
The Saint Lucia Giant Rice Rat dissapeared in the latter half of the 19th century, it was last recorded in 1881, the reasons are the same as in all the other extinct Caribbean rice rat species.
When Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant, explorer, and navigator that lived from 1451 to 1512 and
from whose name the term “America” is derived, set foot on the island of Fernando de Noronha in 1503, he reported of: “marine and land birds without number” and also “very large rats.” [1]
This rat species had not been properly identified until subfossil remains were found abundantly in the 1970s.:
“The most frequently encountered fossils were those of a large rodent of the family Cricetidae, very different from the recent remains of the introduced rats (Rattus), which were also encountered on the dunes. This cricetid is almost certainly the rat mentioned by Vespucci. It is a new species, and possibly a new genus in the subfamily Sigmodontinae.” [1]
The species was finally described in 1999; it very likely died out very soon after the discovery of the island accompanied by the accidental introduction of rats. [2]
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References:
[1] S. L. Olson: Natural history of vertebrates on the Brazilian islands of the mid South Atlantic. National Geographic Society Research Reports 13: 481-492. 1981 [2] Michael D. Carleton; Storrs L. Olson: Amerigo Vespucci and the rat of Fernando de Noronha: a new genus and species of Rodentia (Muridae, Sigmodontinae) from a volcanic island off Brazil’s continental shelf. American Museum Novitates 3256: 1-59. 1999
Miyakojima Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cornutus ssp. miyakonis)
The Little Japanese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cornutus Temminck) seems to be endemic to Japan where it appears to be quite widespread and can be split into several subspecies.
The Miyakojima Horseshoe Bat inhabited the Miyako Islands group in the southern Ryukyu Islands chain, it was last seen in 1971 and is now apparently extinct.
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Little Japanese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cornutus Temminck); another subspecies
The Balearic Shrew, described in 1945, is known only from subfossil remains that were found on the island of Majorca and Menorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain; these remains can be dated to an age of about 2500 BC..
This species was described in 2011 and was originally known only from the type, a subadult individual that had been collected in 1979 in a fragment of moist forest on the western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes.
A second specimen, discovered some years later in a museum collection was collected in 1959 at La Guayacana in western Colombia.
The Small Whiskered Bat apparently is/was restricted to the so-called Chocó ecoregion, lowland forest areas that now are mostly deforested, and is probably extinct. [1]
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References:
[1] Ricardo Moratelli; Don E. Wilson: A second record of Myotis diminutus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): its bearing on the taxonomy of the species and discrimination from M. nigricans. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 127(4): 533-543. 2015
This is one of two species of rice rats that formerly were endemic to the Isla Isabela in the Galápagos Islands, it disappeared sometimes during the middle 19th to the early 20th century.
Just like its next relative, the Oriente Cave Rat (Boromys offella Miller), this smaller spiny rat species is known only from subfossil bone remains, that had been found in several caves on the island of Cuba and on the Isla de la Juventud.
The reasons for its extinction are exactly the same as for its larger relative. [1]
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References:
[1] A. van der Geer; G. Lyras; J. de Vos; M. Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010
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Photo from: ‘G. M. Allen: Fossil Mammals from Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 62: 131-148. 1918’
The Saudi Gazelle, described in 1935, was native to the Arabian Peninsula, where it inhabited sandy acacia plains.
The species disappeared due to excessive hunting and was declared extinct in the wild in 1980 when it very probably was already globally extinct, because all captive individuals were subsequently shown to represent hybrids or different species.
La Guarda Deermouse (Peromyscus guardia ssp. guardia)
The La Guarda Deermouse, also known as Angel Island Mouse, was described in 1912, the species is restricted to the Isla Ángel de la Guarda and several of the nearby smaller islets in the Gulf of California, Baja California, Mexico.
The nominate form inhabited the largest of the islands, Isla Ángel de la Guarda.
The La Guarda Deermouse with all its subspecies is now considered extinct, it fell victim to predation by introduced feral cats as well as competition by likewise introduced House Mice (Mus musculus L.), which now are found all over these islands.
This species was described in the year 1916 from subfossil bones that had been found on the island of Cuba and on the Isla de la Juventud.
The Oriente Cave Rat seems to have survived long enough to see the arrival of the first Europeans on the American double continent, because its bones were found in deposits that also contained bones of rats, which again reached Cuba for the first time together with the European discoverers.
These rats then again obviously played a big role in the extinction of this endemic rodent species. [1]
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References:
[1] A. van der Geer; G. Lyras; J. de Vos; M. Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010
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Photo from: ‘G. M. Allen: Fossil Mammals from Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 62: 131-148. 1918’
The island of Tilos is located between the islands of Kos and Rhodes in the eastern Aegean Sea.
This island, like all of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea, once harbored its own, endemic fauna, including dwarfed animals like this endemic Elephant, whose fossil remains were already discovered in the 1970s.
The Tilos Dwarf Elephant was slightly larger than most other dwarf elephants known from other Mediterranean islands, it reached a shoulder height of about 1,2 to 1,6 m and a length of about 1,9 m.
The species died out around 3500 B.P., meaning it survived at least until the beginning of the Aegean Bronze Age. It was probably directly hunted to extinction. [1]
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References:
[1] G. E. Theodorou; N. Symeonides; E. Stathopoulou: Elephas tiliensis n. sp. from Tilos island (Dodecanese, Greece). Hellenic Journal of Geosciences 42: 19–32. 2007
Georgina’s Barbados Rice Rat (Megalomys georginae)
Georgina’s Barbados Rice Rat was described in 2012 based on subfossil remains that had been recovered from an Amerindian archaeological site on the island of Barbados in the Lesser Antilles.
The species was one of the smallest forms in its genus. [1]
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References:
[1] Samuel T. Turvey; Selina Brace; Marcelo Weksler: A new species of recently extinct rice rat (Megalomys) from Barbados. Mammalian Biology 77: 404-413. 2012
Silva’s Leaf-nosed Bat was described in 2005 based on (sub)fossil remains recovered from the deposits of a cave in the Pinar del Río province of Cuba; these remains, however, may be of Late Pleistocene age, and the species is so far just mentioned here for the sake of completeness. [1]
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References:
[1] Carlos A. Mancina; Lainet García-Rivera: New genus and species of fossil bat (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from Cuba. Caribbean Journal of Science 41(1): 22-27. 2005
The Japanese River Otter inhabited the rivers on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku in Japan; it was formerly thought to be a subspecies of the Eurasian River Otter (Lutra lutra (L.)).
The species was last seen in 1979 and is now considered extinct.
The Nullabor Dwarf Bettong was described in 1997 based on subfossil skeletal remains that were found in caves on the Nullabor Plain, an large arid desert region in southern Australia.
The species apparently disappeared shortly after the arrival of European settlers in the region, who brought with them cats and foxes which preyed upon the native mammals and still do so up to this day.
***
The native people of the Pilbara region allegedly have two names for a very small kangaroo species, weelba respectively wirlpa, which may have originally been used for this species. [1]
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References:
[1] Chris Johnson: Australia’s Mammal Extinctions: a 50000 year history. Cambridge University Press 2006
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Photo from: ‘J. A. McNamarra: Some smaller macropod fossils of South Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 117: 97-106. 1997’
Indeterminate Hutia (Capromyidae gen. & sp. ‘Hispaniola’)
The subfossil remains of this form, whose closest relative seems to be the Imposter Hutia (Hexolobodon phenax (Miller)), known only in a subfossil state as well, were found in 1989 (?) on the island of Hispaniola.
The bones have an age of about 3600 to 4700 years. [1]
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References:
[1] Samuel T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
This species was described in 1839 on the basis of fossil remains that were dated to an Late Pleistocene age.
The species survived into the early Holocene era.
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References:
[1] Andrea Corona; Daniel Perea; H. Gregory McDonald: Catonyx cuvieri (Xenarthra, Mylodontidae, Scelidotheriinae) from the late Pleistocene of Uruguay, with comments regarding the systematics of the subfamily. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33(5): 1214-1225. 2013
Sturdee’s Pipistrelle was described in 1915 and so far, is only known from the type specimen that was collected at an unknown location sometime at the end of the 19th century.
Some sources cite Hahajima in the Ogasawara Archipelago, Japan, as the location of the species, but that seems to be a mistake.
***
The taxonomic status of the animal is actually not entirely clear either.
Big Thicket Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus leuconotus ssp. telmalestes)
The Big Ticket Hog-nosed Skunk is a subspecies of the widespread American Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus leuconotus (Lichtenstein)) that apparently was restricted to a small region in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas, USA.
This subspecies, however, might in fact not be valid; another subspecies, once thought to be extinct, the Furnace Canyon Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus leuconotus ssp. figginisi Miller) has been merged with another subspecies that still exists, but is likewise most likely not valid at all.
***
Until the taxonomical situation is cleared, the species will be mentioned here for the sake of completeness.
The Capricorn Rabbit Rat was described in 2010 based on fossil and subfossil dental remains that were recovered from the deposits inside the Capricorn Cave in Queensland, Australia and that can be dated to Late Pleistocene- to Early Holocene age.
The species probably died out sometimes during the Early Holocene.
The Desert Bandicoot, described in 1897, was restricted to the arid center of Australia; the natives there knew it by many names including karitjarri, karl-karl, kililpi, nganngarrpa, nyirnmi, walilya or warralyarri.
The nocturnal and flesh-eating species inhabited dry, sandy areas covered with spinifex (Spinifex spp.) and other tussock grasses; it fed upon beetle larvae, termites and ants, especially honey-pot ants.
The Desert Bandicoot disappeared most likely due to predation by feral cats and Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes (L.)) introduced from Europe; the last sighting took place in 1943 in Western Australia, according to some natives it may have survived into the 1960s. [1]
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References:
[1] Andrew A. Burbridge; Ken A. Johnson; Phillip J. Fuller; R. I. Southgate: Aboriginal knowledge of the mammals of the central deserts of Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 15: 9-39. 1988
The Lesser Cuban Fig-eating Bat, also known as Lesser Falcate-winged Bat, was described in 1919 based on subfossil remains collected from a cave named Cueva de los Indios on the island of Cuba.
The species was somewhat similar to the still living Cuban Fig-eating Bat (Phyllops falcatus (Gray)) but was noticeably smaller. [1]
***
Fossils that are assignable to this species were later also recovered from cave depostis on the Isla de la Juventud offshore the southern coast of Cuba.
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References:
[1] H. E. Anthony: Mammals collected in eastern Cuba in 1917: with descriptions of two new species. Bulletin of American Museum of Natural History 41: 625-643. 1919
Crooked Island Hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. irrectus)
The Bahaman Hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami (J. A. Allen)) is a species of middle-sized rodent that is endemic to the Bahamas, or at least to the islands that are part of the so-called Great Bahama Bank.
The species was believed to be extinct, but a very small population was rediscovered in 1966 on a likewise very small island named East Plana Cay, this was assigned to the nominate form and in 1973, some of these animals were released on two additional islands, Little Wax Cay and Warderick Wells.
Based on DNA studies it is now known that the animals on East Plana Cay in fact did not constitute the last surviving wild population but one that was introduced in pre-Columbian times by the people of the Lucayan culture, the first human inhabitants of the Bahamas. [2]
***
Subfossil remains of this species were found on many of the larger islands, including Abaco as well as Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island; these forms differed from the alleged nominate form by their cranial characters and thus were described as two distinct subspecies: Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. abacoensis Lawrence (from Abaco Island) and Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. irrectus (from the remaining islands); the form from Abaco Island, however, is now known to have also just been introduced in prehistoric times, thus has never been a distinct subspecies. [1]
The animals that inhabited Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island on the other hand, appear to be non-monophyletic, thus likewise do not represent a distinct subspecies but either more than one or none at all.
The above-mentioned differences in the cranial characters may in fact just be the consequence of resource availability – animals on larger islands may have become larger because they had access to larger resources …. [2]
***
The Bahamian Hutia, once believed to be extinct, then rediscovered in 1966, may never had have any subspecies after all. This question is not yet answered – I will mention this species here only fro the sake of completness and because it constitutes a very interesting case.
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References:
[1] B. N. Lawrence: Geocapromys from the Bahamas. Occasional papers of the Boston Society of Natural History 8: 189-196. 1934 [2] Jessica A. Oswald; Julie M. Allen; Michelle J. LeFebvre; Brian J. Stucky; Ryan A. Folk; Nancy A. Albury; Gary S. Morgan; Robert P. Guralnick; David W. Steadman: Ancient DNA and high-resolution chronometry reveal a long-term human role in the historical diversity and biogeography of the Bahamian hutia. Scientific Reports 10: 1373. 2020
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Depiction from: ‘Mark Catesby; George Edwards: The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands : containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects, and plants : particularly, those not hitherto described, or incorrectly figured by former authors, with their descriptions in English and French : to which is prefixed, a new and correct map of the countries, with observations on their natural state, inhabitants, and productions. London: printed for B. White 1771’
The Haitian Edible Rat was described in 1929 based on subfossil remains.
In pre-European times, the native spiny rats of the Caribbean were very common and were an important part of the diet of the indigenous people.
Most of the known species – including this one – did not become extinct until a short time after the arrival of the Europeans. [1][2][3]
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References:
[1] Gerrit S. Miller: A second collection of mammals from caves near St. Michel, Haiti. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 81(9): 1-30. 1929
[2] Samuel T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
[3] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010
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Photo from: ‘Gerrit S. Miller: A second collection of mammals from caves near St. Michel, Haiti. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 81(9): 1-30. 1929’
