Plate-toothed giant hutia

The plate-toothed giant hutia (Elasmodontomys obliquus) is an extinct species of rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It is the only species within the genus Elasmodontomys. It was found in Puerto Rico.^[1]

Plate-toothed giant hutia Temporal range: Late Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	†Heptaxodontidae
Genus:	†Elasmodontomys Anthony, 1916
Species:	†E. obliquus
Binomial name
†Elasmodontomys obliquus Anthony, 1916
Synonyms
Heptaxodon obliquus

Description

The rodent is thought to have weighed 13 kilograms (29 lb) and survived for at least 2000 years after humans colonised Puerto Rico.^[2]

Taxonomy

Despite being described as a "giant hutia", it has recently been recovered as a member of the Chinchilloidea.^[3]