Hispaniolan hutia

The Hispaniolan hutia (Plagiodontia aedium) is one of the thriteen surviving species of hutia which are found on some of the caribbean islands (Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica & Bahamas). The Hispaniolan hutia is one of only two surviving endemic (non-flying) land mammals on Hispaniola (Haiti & Dominican Republic) and the only native & endemic rodent on the island. Hutias belong to the family Capromyidae and the Hispaniolan hutia may be the oldest surviving species of this lineage and thought to have diverged from other hutias about 20 million years ago. The species is mainly nocturnal and arboreal in nature. It lives in small family groups that spend daylight hours in small caves or large hollow trees/logs. Much remains to be discovered about this species ecology and biology