Anthony's Woodrat
Encyclopedia
Anthony's Woodrat was a species of rodent
in the family Cricetidae
. It was found only on Isla Todos Santos
in Baja California Norte, Mexico
. It is believed they were driven to extinction
through predation
from feral cat
s.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the family Cricetidae
Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
. It was found only on Isla Todos Santos
Isla Todos Santos
Isla Todos Santos is a pair of islands about 19.3km off Ensenada, Baja California at best known for surfing. Access is only by boat, which can be rented out from Ensenada, or La Bufadora. The waves off the smallest island are some of the biggest waves in the North American continent, rivaled in...
in Baja California Norte, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is believed they were driven to extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
through predation
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
from feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
s.