Minorcan Giant Lagomorph
Encyclopedia
The Minorcan Giant Lagomorph, Nuralagus rex, is an extinct rabbit
that lived in the island of Minorca
from the Messinian
until around the middle of the Pliocene
, when it became extinct . During that time, both Majorca and Minorca were united in one large landform, allowing Myotragus balearicus
to colonize the Minorcan Giant Lagomorph's habitat.
Fossils have been found of individuals which could have weighed up to 23 kg (50 lbs), although the estimated average body mass of the species is about 12 kg. They had small ears, tiny eyes, short legs and a short, straight and rigid vertebral column
, very different from their living relatives.
According to paleontologist Josep Quintana Cardona, N. rex didn't hop much if at all, as evident by its relatively short, stiff spine. No fossil remains of any rabbit eating predators have been found, so it is suggested that the lack of predators meant they didn't have a reason to maintain speed and agility, and could evolve to larger sizes.
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
that lived in the island of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
from the Messinian
Messinian
The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma...
until around the middle of the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
, when it became extinct . During that time, both Majorca and Minorca were united in one large landform, allowing Myotragus balearicus
Myotragus balearicus
Myotragus balearicus , also known as the Balearic Islands Cave Goat, a species of the subfamily Caprinae which lived on the islands of Majorca and Minorca until its extinction around 5,000 years ago...
to colonize the Minorcan Giant Lagomorph's habitat.
Fossils have been found of individuals which could have weighed up to 23 kg (50 lbs), although the estimated average body mass of the species is about 12 kg. They had small ears, tiny eyes, short legs and a short, straight and rigid vertebral column
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
, very different from their living relatives.
According to paleontologist Josep Quintana Cardona, N. rex didn't hop much if at all, as evident by its relatively short, stiff spine. No fossil remains of any rabbit eating predators have been found, so it is suggested that the lack of predators meant they didn't have a reason to maintain speed and agility, and could evolve to larger sizes.