Thursday, January 7, 2016

Martinique giant rice rat

The Martinique giant rice rat (Megalomys Desmarestii) or Antillean giant rice rat is an extinct subspecies of giant rice rat native to Martinique in the Caribbean. It was declared extinct in May 8th, 1902 due to human hunting, cats, dogs, introduced mongooses, and Mt. Pelee in 1902. In 1902, Martinique's volcano Mt. Pelee erupted and the flames shot 400 meters in the air in St. Pierre in the Northwest of Martinique. It was also the last subspecies to survive. There are 3 recent subspecies including the Santa Lucian, Martinique, and Barbados. It was also the largest subspecies and the smallest was probably the Barbados.

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