Tyrrhenian field rat
| Tyrrhenian field rat | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Rhagamys | ||||||||||||
| Forsyth Major , 1905 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Rhagamys orthodon | ||||||||||||
| ( Hensel , 1856) |
The Tyrrhenian field rat ( Rhagamys orthodon ) is an extinct rodent from the group of old world mice (Murinae).
The species resembled the closely related wood mice ( Apodemus ). Fossil remains were discovered in Corsica and Sardinia , the finds date from the middle Pleistocene to the post-glacial era. At the end of the Pleistocene there was a significant increase in the body size of these animals.
The extinction of the Tyrrhenian field rat has been linked to the arrival of humans and their pets on their home islands and the introduction of the black rat . The species is thought to have died out around 2000 years ago.
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 .