Canariomys

Canariomys is an extinct genus of rodents (Old World rats and mice) that once existed on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands, Spain. These giant rats could reach a weight of about 1 kg (2.2 lb). They were herbivores; their diet was based on plant materials, probably soft vegetables such as roots, ferns, and berries, but not grass. C.tamarani were considered herbivores, eating everything plant like except grass with good digging skills. While C.bravoi were considered as a rat character, because of its large size, with an omnivorous diet with good climbing skills.

Canariomys Temporal range: Pleistocene to Holocene
Model of Tenerife giant rat at Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Muridae
Subfamily:	Murinae
Genus:	†Canariomys Crusafont Pairó & Petter, 1964 / Lopez-Martinez & López-Jurado, L. F. (1987)
Type species
Canariomys bravoi and Canariomys tamarani

It is generally believed that the species of Tenerife lived in a wooded area linked to the laurisilva and that it had climbing abilities, whereas the species of Gran Canaria lived in more open environments and was more linked to the excavation of burrows.

Two species are currently recognized:

• Tenerife giant rat, Canariomys bravoi (Tenerife, Pleistocene)
• Gran Canaria giant rat, Canariomys tamarani (Gran Canaria, Holocene)

References

• Crusafont-Pairo, M. & F. Petter, 1964, "Un Muriné géant fossile des iles Canaries Canariomys bravoi gen. nov., sp. nov", Mammalia, 28,pp 607–612.
• Michaux, J., Hautier, L., Hutterer, R., Lebrun, R., Guy, F., & García-Talavera, F. (2012). Body shape and life style of the extinct rodent Canariomys bravoi (Mammalia, Murinae) from Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain). Comptes Rendus. Palevol, 11(7), 485–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2012.06.004