Telicomys is an extinct genus of rodent from the Solimões Formation, Brazil, South America.
| Telicomys | |
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| Telicomys giganteus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Dinomyidae |
| Genus: | †Telicomys Kraglievich, 1926 |
| Species | |
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Telicomys giganteus | |
Description
editThis rodent weighed approximately 200–500 kg (440–1,100 lb).[2] With a length of more than 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) 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 m (4 ft 5 in). The closest living relative to Telicomys is the pacarana.[1] Its name derives from Greek τηλικος μυς = "a mouse [= rodent] of such a size".[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 284. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ^ Thomas Defler (2018). History of Terrestrial Mammals in South America. Springer International Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 978-3-319-98449-0. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
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