Canary lava mouse
| Canary lava mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Malpaisomys | ||||||||||||
| Hutterer , López-Martínez & Michaux , 1988 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Malpaisomys insularis | ||||||||||||
| Hutterer , López-Martínez & Michaux , 1988 |
The Lava Mouse ( Malpaisomys insularis ) is the only type of extinct genus Malpaisomys from the sub- family of murinae (Murinae) within the family of muridae (Muridae).
Canary lava mice reached a head body length of around 11 centimeters and a tail length of 10.5 centimeters. Their weight is estimated at around 40 grams. The front and rear feet were relatively long and adapted to a way of life climbing in the rocky regions. Fossil remains of this type have been found in the Canary Islands of Fuerteventura , Lanzarote and Graciosa .
Bone finds indicate that the Canary lava mice were very common until around 2000 years ago, with the settlement of their home islands by humans and the introduction of the house mouse ( Mus musculus ), the population began to decline. An 800 year old site still housed the bones of these animals, and shortly afterwards they presumably died out.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .