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The Tenerife giant rat (''Canariomys bravoi'') is an extinct species of rodent endemic to the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, Spain. Many remains have been found during archeological digs. Most remains are from the Pleistocene. Radiocarbon dating has placed some of the finds in the late Pleistocene.〔Michaux, J., N. Lopez-Martinez, and J. J. Hernadez-Pachero. 1996. A 14C dating of Canariomys bravoi (Mammalia, Rodentia), the extinct giant rat from Tenerife. (Canary Islands, Spain), and the recent history of the endemic mammals in the archipelago Vie et Milieu 46:261–266.〕 ==Discovery== Fossilized remains of this animal have been found practically in every part of the island, but especially in deposits in caves or volcanic pipes of the island, where it often appears together with remains of other species such as the giant lizards (''Gallotia goliath''). In particular, its bony remains have been discovered in large amounts in the deposit of Buenavista del Norte (in the northwest of Tenerife). Their fossils date back to the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. The first fossils were found by the naturalist Telesforo Bravo, from whom the name of the rodent is derived. Biologists Crusafont-Pairó and Petter first described the giant rat in 1964. The giant rat, along with some other endemic species of the islands, went extinct due to the activities of the initial human colonists (the Guanches), including their introduction of feral cats. Today, the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife exhibits fossil skulls and bones of this animal, as well as faithful reconstructions. Another giant rat of the Canary Islands was ''Canariomys tamarani''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tenerife giant rat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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