Geographic Range
Prehensile-tailed hutias (
Mysateles prehensilis
) are endemic to Cuba, and are primarily found on the western half of the island.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
- Other Geographic Terms
- island endemic
Habitat
Prehensile-tailed hutias occur in the woods, forested coasts, and mangrove areas of
tropical Cuba.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- Other Habitat Features
- riparian
Physical Description
Varying in mass from 1.4 to 1.9 kg, and in length from 55 to 75 cm, prehensile-tailed
hutias are the largest
Mysateles
species. The dorsal fur ranges in color from black to grey, while the ventral pelage
often begins as white and then changes posteriorly to brown. The tail of
M. prehensilis
is partially prehensile and can be equal to 80% of the body's length.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
Little is known about the mating system of prehensile-tailed hutias, but two species
in the same family,
Geocapromys ingrahami
and
G. brownii
, breed year round. Bahamanian hutias,
G. ingrahami
, have been observed mating and may use vocalizations to attract partners.
While reproduction in
M. prehensilis
is poorly understood, other members of the
Capromyidae
are known for having lengthy gestation periods and small, precocial litters.
Geocapromys brownii
produces 1 to 3 young after a 123 day gestation period; the young can eat solid foods
roughly 30 hours after birth.
Capromys pilorides
, another capromyid found in Cuba, gives birth to fully furred offspring after 110
to 140 days.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Parental investment in
M. prehensilis
has not been investigated. Observations of
G. ingrahami
in captivity show that females will defend their young. Like other mammals, females
nourish and care for their young until they are weaned.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
There is no available information on the lifespan of
M. prehensilis
, but
G. ingrahami
can reach the age of 6 years in the wild.
Behavior
The majority of hutias are active only at night, while prehensile-tailed hutias are
partially diurnal. Their claws and semi-prehensile tail make them exceptional climbers
and they exhibit an arboreal lifestyle. Hutias in general are characterized as social
and both
G. ingrahami
and
G. brownii
participate in bonding activities such as allogrooming. Species in the family
Capromyidae
do not appear to be territorial.
Communication and Perception
Little information is available on the communication and perception of
M. prehensilis
in particular, but certain vocalizations are common among hutia species. Both
G. brownii
and
G. ingrahami
make nearly constant noises when conspecifics are close. Observations of
G. ingrahami
show that they make a different sound when threatened. This particular noise seems
to draw other hutias into the area. Like other mammals, it's also likely that prehensile-tailed
hutias use olfaction extensively in communicating with conspecifics.
Food Habits
The diet of prehensile-tailed hutias primarily consists of fruit, leaves, and bark.
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- wood, bark, or stems
- fruit
Predation
Beyond humans, the predators of
M. prehensilis
remain unidentified. Remains of
C. pilorides
, another Cuban hutia, have been found in the stomachs of Cuban crocodiles,
Crocodilus rhombifer
.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Little information has been generated about the role of
M. prehensilis
in its ecosystem. They may help to disperse seeds through their frugivory. Prehensile-tailed
hutias are carriers of two forms of chewing lice:
Gliricola ewingi
and
Gliricola capromydis armatus
. Both are ectoparasites found only on the fur of prehensile-tailed hutias.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Prehensile-tailed hutias are used as a food source by the people of Cuba.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of M. prehensilis on humans.
Conservation Status
Only Desmarests' hutias (
C. pilorides
) are as common as prehensile-tailed hutias. All other hutias are at a much higher
risk of extinction.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Gwendolyn Webster (author), Michigan State University, Barbara Lundrigan (editor, instructor), Michigan State University.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- island endemic
-
animals that live only on an island or set of islands.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- riparian
-
Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- arboreal
-
Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- folivore
-
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
References
Anderson, S., C. Woods, G. Morgan, W. Oliver. 1983. Geocapromys brownii. Mammalian Species , 201: 1-5.
Ballie, J. 1996. "Mysateles prehensilis" (On-line). 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed February 25, 2007 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/14258/summ .
Cardozo-de-Almeida, M., P. Linard, J. Costa. 2003. The Type Specimens of Chewing Lice (Insecta, Mallophaga) Deposited in the Entomological Collection of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz , 98: 233-240.
Clough, G. 1974. Additional Notes on the Biology of the Bahamian Hutia, Geocapromys ingrahami. Journal of Mammalogy , 55: 670-672.
Clough, G. 1972. Biology of the Bahaman Hutia, Geocapromys ingrahami. Journal of Mammalogy , 53: 807-823.
De Sola, C. 1930. The Cuban Crocodile: An Account of the Species Crocodilus rhombifer Cuvier, with Notes on Its Life History. Copeia , 1930: 81-83.
Nowak, R. 1999. Capromyidae: Hutias. Pp. 1703-1705 in Walker's Mammals of the World , Vol. 2, Sixth Edition. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press.
Poeppig, E. 1824. Nova generis Capromys, Desm. species. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia , 4: 11-15.
2003. Hutias (Capromyidae). Pp. 461-467 in Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia , Vol. 16, Second Edition. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale.
2005. Mysateles prehensilis. Pp. 1596 in Mammal Species of the World , Vol. 2, Second Edition. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.