Neochoerus pinckneyi
Encyclopedia
Neochoerus pinckneyi was a North America
n species
of capybara
. While capybaras originated in South America
, formation of the Isthmus of Panama
three million years ago allowed some of them to migrate north as part of the Great American Interchange
. Capybaras and porcupines
are the only caviomorph rodents
that reached temperate North America during this exchange (a much greater diversity of North American rodents invaded South America). At 90 to 113 kg (200 to 250 pounds), 40% larger than the living capybara, (Kurtén and Anderson, 1980), N. pinckneyi is one of the largest rodent
species
ever discovered, surpassed only by the recently discovered Josephoartigasia monesi
, several species of Phoberomys, and possibly the Pleistocene
giant beaver
. Remains have been found in southern North America
and throughout Central America
.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
. While capybaras originated in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, formation of the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
three million years ago allowed some of them to migrate north as part of the Great American Interchange
Great American Interchange
The Great American Interchange was an important paleozoogeographic event in which land and freshwater fauna migrated from North America via Central America to South America and vice versa, as the volcanic Isthmus of Panama rose up from the sea floor and bridged the formerly separated continents...
. Capybaras and porcupines
New World porcupine
The New World porcupines, or Erethizontidae, are large arboreal rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They inhabit forests and wooded regions across North America, and into northern South America...
are the only caviomorph rodents
Caviomorpha
Caviomorpha is the rodent infraorder or parvorder that unites all South American hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence.-Origin:...
that reached temperate North America during this exchange (a much greater diversity of North American rodents invaded South America). At 90 to 113 kg (200 to 250 pounds), 40% larger than the living capybara, (Kurtén and Anderson, 1980), N. pinckneyi is one of the largest rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
ever discovered, surpassed only by the recently discovered Josephoartigasia monesi
Josephoartigasia monesi
Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived approximately 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species may have weighed , considerably larger than its closest living relative, the pacarana...
, several species of Phoberomys, and possibly the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
giant beaver
Giant Beaver
Castoroides ohioensis was a species of giant beaver, huge members of the family Castoridae , endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch .-Morphology:...
. Remains have been found in southern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and throughout Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.