Telicomys
Encyclopedia
Telicomys is an extinct genus of rodent
from South America
.
With a length of more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) in T. gigantissimus, it contains two or three of the largest rodents that ever lived, along with Phoberomys, Josephoartigasia
, and the giant beaver
. It is part of the same South American radiation of rodents as both Phoberomys and the modern capybara
, which is the largest living rodent, reaching lengths of up to 1.35 metres (4.4 ft). The closest living relative to Telicomys is the pacarana
.
Its name was made from Greek τηλικος + μυς = "a mouse [= rodent] of such a size".
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....
from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
With a length of more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) in T. gigantissimus, it contains two or three of the largest rodents that ever lived, along with Phoberomys, Josephoartigasia
Josephoartigasia
Josephoartigasia is an extinct genus of rodent from the Early to Late Pliocene that is related to the living pacarana. The genus includes the largest known rodent, Josephoartigasia monesi. It resembles a modern capybara....
, and the giant beaver
Giant Beaver
Castoroides ohioensis was a species of giant beaver, huge members of the family Castoridae , endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch .-Morphology:...
. It is part of the same South American radiation of rodents as both Phoberomys and the modern capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
, which is the largest living rodent, reaching lengths of up to 1.35 metres (4.4 ft). The closest living relative to Telicomys is the pacarana
Pacarana
The Pacarana is a rare and slow-moving nocturnal rodent found only in tropical forests of the western Amazon River basin and adjacent foothills of the Andes Mountains from northwestern Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia, including the yungas. One place that it is common is Cotapata National...
.
Its name was made from Greek τηλικος + μυς = "a mouse [= rodent] of such a size".