Puerto Rican Nesophontes

Puerto Rican Nesophontes[1]
Conservation status
Extinct (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Soricomorpha
Family:	Nesophontidae
Genus:	Nesophontes
Species:	N. edithae
Binomial name
Nesophontes edithae Anthony, 1916

The Puerto Rican Nesophontes (Nesophontes edithae), or Puerto Rican Shrew, is an extinct soricomorph endemic to the island of Puerto Rico.

It is believed that the animal was never observed by Europeans. Contemporary fossils with indigenous artifacts and introduced rat fossils indicate survival into the colonial era, possibly until the 16th century. The shrew lived on the 4' island montane forest/brush endemic to western Puerto Rico and was an insectivore. There are fossil specimens located in London. It disappeared after introduction of rats and due to the destruction of its forest habitat.

References

1. ^ Hutterer, Rainer (16 November 2005). "Order Soricomorpha (pp. 220-311)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). p. 221. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=13700004. 
2. ^ Turvey, S. & Helgen, K. (2008). Nesophontes edithae. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 6 January 2009.

See also

• List of extinct animals
• List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biology portal