Telicomys

Telicomys is an extinct genus of rodent from the Solimões Formation, Brazil, South America.

Telicomys
Telicomys giganteus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dinomyidae
Genus: †Telicomys
Kraglievich, 1926
Species

Telicomys giganteus
Telicomys gigantissimus
Telicomys amazonensis (disputed)

Description

This rodent weighed approximately 200–500 kg (440–1,100 lb).[2] With a length of more than 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in T. gigantissimus, it contains two or three of the largest rodents that ever lived, along with Phoberomys, Josephoartigasia, and the giant beaver. It is part of the same South American radiation of rodents as both Phoberomys and the modern capybara, which is the largest living rodent, reaching lengths of up to 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in). The closest living relative to Telicomys is the pacarana.[1] Its name derives from Greek τηλικος + μυς = "a mouse [= rodent] of such a size".

References
  1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 284. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  2. Thomas Defler (2018). History of Terrestrial Mammals in South America. Springer International Publishing. p. 153. Retrieved 2022-08-27.


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