Interesting Creature… Hutia

Aug 14, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean Islands. Twenty species of hutia have been identified but at least a third is extinct. Only Desmarest’s hutia and the prehensile-tailed hutia remain common and widespread; all other extant species are considered threatened by the IUCN. The extinct giant hutias of the family Heptaxodontidae also inhabited the Caribbean, but are not thought to be closely related, with the giant hutias belonging in the superfamily Chinchilloidea.

Description

Most species have a head-and-body length that ranges from 21 to 46 cm (8.3 to 18.1 in) and weigh less than 2 kg (4.4 lb), but Desmarest’s hutia has a head-and-body length of 31 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) and weighs 2.8–8.5 kg (6.2–18.7 lb). They resemble the coypu in some respects. Tails are present, varying from vestiges to prehensile. They have stout bodies and large heads. Most species are herbivorous, though some consume small animals. Instead of burrowing underground, they nest in trees or rock crevices.

They are hunted for food in Cuba, where they are often cooked in a large pot with wild nuts and honey. At the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base however, there is an over population due to an abundant food source and the lack of natural predators. Desmarest’s hutias are referred to by those stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base as banana rats. Banana rats are not named for their dietary preference but because their feces look like small versions of the fruit. They are known to come out at night.

Phylogeny

Molecular studies of phylogeny indicate that hutias nest within the Neotropical spiny rats (Echimyidae). Indeed, the hutia subfamily, Capromyinae, is the sister group to Owl’s spiny rat Carterodon. In turn, this clade shares phylogenetic affinities with a subfamily of spiny rats, the Euryzygomatomyinae.

Within Capromyidae, the deepest split involves Plagiodontia with respect to other genera, followed by the divergence of Geocapromys. The latter genus is the sister group to a clade in which Capromys branches off before the Mesocapromys and Mysateles split.

Hutias colonised the islands of the Caribbean as far as the Bahamas by island hopping from South America, reaching the Greater Antilles by the early Oligocene. This was facilitated by the direction of prevailing currents. (Source: Wikipedia)

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