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It was among the largest species of West Indian rice rats, as big as a cat, and was one of the first Caribbean mammals to become extinct during the 20th century. [2] It may have been semi-aquatic, as it was known to escape into the sea when pursued by predators, but it never swam away from the island.
Marsh rice rats sometimes make large runways or dig burrows. [146] They are accomplished and willing swimmers, easily swimming more than 10 m (33 ft) under water, [147] and often seek safety in the water when alarmed. [148] Rice rats in the Florida Keys occasionally climb in vegetation, but never higher than 90 cm (3.0 ft). [149]
Oryzomys is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini living in southern North America and far northern South America. It includes eight species, two of which—the marsh rice rat (O. palustris) of the United States and O. couesi of Mexico and Central America—are widespread; the six others have more restricted distributions.
Marsh rat can refer to several not closely related types of semiaquatic rodents of superfamily Muroidea: Dasymys , about ten species from Africa in the family Muridae ; African marsh rat or common dasymys ( D. incomtus )
Oryzomyini is a tribe of rodents in the subfamily Sigmodontinae of the family Cricetidae.It includes about 120 species in about thirty genera, [1] distributed from the eastern United States to the southernmost parts of South America, including many offshore islands.
Oryzomys couesi and at least six more narrowly distributed species with peripheral distributions together form the O. couesi group within the genus Oryzomys.The eighth species of the genus, the marsh rice rat (O. palustris) is the only member of its own group [9] (unless western populations are classified as a separate species, O. texensis). [10]
Characteristics that identify this group are broad rostrum, a tail that is longer than its head, and short broad hind feet. [5] Pygmy rice rats are very small rodents, with a head-and-body length of between 70 and 110 mm (2.8 and 4.3 in) and a tail length of between 85 and 155 mm (3.3 and 6.1 in). [6]
Handleyomys alfaroi, also known as Alfaro's rice rat [1] or Alfaro's oryzomys, [2] is a species of rodent in the genus Handleyomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Belize , Colombia , Costa Rica , Ecuador , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Mexico , Nicaragua , and Panama .