Puerto Rican nesophontes
The Puerto Rican nesophontes (Nesophontes edithae), or Puerto Rican shrew, is an extinct eulipotyphlan endemic to Puerto Rico.
| Puerto Rican nesophontes[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | †Nesophontidae |
| Genus: | †Nesophontes |
| Species: | †N. edithae |
| Binomial name | |
| †Nesophontes edithae Anthony, 1916 | |
It is believed that the animal was never observed by Europeans. Contemporary fossils with indigenous artefacts and introduced rat fossils indicate survival into the colonial era, possibly until the 16th century. The shrew lived in the island montane forest/brush endemic to western Puerto Rico and was an insectivore. There are fossil specimens located in London. It disappeared after introduction of rats and due to the destruction of its forest habitat.
References
- Hutterer, R. (2005). "Order Soricomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- Turvey, S.T.; Helgen, K. (2017). "Nesophontes edithae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T41313A22281466. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41313A22281466.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
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