Black-tailed hutia | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Echimyidae |
Tribe: | Capromyini |
Genus: | Mesocapromys |
Species: | M. melanurus |
Binomial name | |
Mesocapromys melanurus (Poey, 1865) | |
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Synonyms | |
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The black-tailed hutia (Mesocapromys melanurus), also known as the bushy-tailed hutia, is a small, furry, rat-like mammal found only in Cuba. It lives in lowland moist forests and is threatened by habitat loss. [2] It is a member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct.
Although it was formerly classified in the genus Mysateles , phylogenetic evidence supports it belonging to the genus Mesocapromys . [3]