Kritimys
Extinct genus of rodent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kritimys, also known as the Cretan giant rat[1] is an extinct genus of murid rodent that was endemic to the island of Crete during the Early and Middle Pleistocene.[2] There are two known species, K. kiridus from the Early-Mid Pleistocene, and its descendant K. catreus from the Middle Pleistocene.[2] It is suggested to be closely related to and probably derived from Praomys.[3] As with most island rodents, Kritimys was larger than its mainland relatives, with its size increasing over time,[4] with K. catreus estimated to weigh 518 grams (1.142 lb), around 6.7 times the weight of its mainland ancestor, an example of island gigantism.[3] The temporal range of the genus is considered to define the regional Kritimys biozone,[2] during which time there were only two other species of mammal native to the island, a species of dwarf mammoth, Mammuthus creticus and the dwarf hippopotamus Hippopotamus creutzburgi. It became extinct during the late Middle Pleistocene, following the arrival of the Mus bateae-minotaurus lineage (which appears to be related to Mus musculus) to the island, exhibiting a decrease in size shortly before its extinction.[5]
| Kritimys Temporal range: Early - Middle Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: | †Kritimys Kuss & Missone, 1968 |
| Species | |
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K. catreus Bate, 1912 | |
| Synonyms | |
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