List of Antillian and Bermudan species extinct in the Holocene

This is a list of Antillian and Bermudan animals extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE) and continues to the present day. This list includes the Antilles archipelago and the Bermuda Islands, collectively known as the West Indies, though the Florida Keys and Cozumel are included in the list of North American species extinct in the Holocene due to their geographic and geological proximity to the continent.

The indigenous fauna of the West Indies collapsed in the Late Quaternary, with the rate of extinction for terrestrial mammals approaching 79-84%, one of the highest in the world. However, in stark contrast to the American continent, radiocarbon dating indicates that mammals survived the end of the Pleistocene with no apparent, or minimal losses despite localized sea level rise and climate change. The same actually caused some bird extirpations and extinctions on the Bahamas, however.

The indigenous peoples of the Caribbean arrived in the middle Holocene and introduced guinea pigs, agoutis, and Native American dogs. While they accelerated the process, it was still not to the extent predicted by the "blitzkrieg" model of Pleistocene extinctions. For example, Caribbean sloths coexisted with humans for up to 400 years, even the largest species, which might indicate that they weren't commonly hunted. Some rodents, like the Puerto Rican hutia and Desmarest's hutia, and even flightless birds like the Antillean cave rail adapted well to human predation and were introduced to new islands by humans. European colonization, beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, brought in Old World rats, mice, domestic animals, and large-scale deforestation that eradicated many of the native animals and those introduced by indigenous peoples alike. The most recent extinctions happened after the late 19th century, following the introduction of the small Indian mongoose for rat control.

Many extinction dates are unknown due to a lack of relevant information.

Mammals (class Mammalia) Anteaters and sloths (order Pilosa)

Antillian sloths (family Megalocnidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesCuban slothBorroto-Páez, R., Mancina, C. A., Woods, C. A., & Kilpatrick, C. W. (2012) Updated checklist of endemic terrestrial mammals of the West Indies. In: Borroto-Páez, R., Woods, C.A., Sergile, F.E. (eds) Terrestrial mammals of the West Indies: Contributions. Wacahoota Press/ University of Vermont, Burlington.Acratocnus antillensisCubaMost recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE.Puerto Rican slothAcratocnus odontrigonusPuerto RicoMost recent remains dated to 1738–1500 BCE. However this date was not obtained directly from bones, nor calibrated, and the remains could be older.Acratocnus simorhynchusHispaniolaKnown from the Pleistocene but possibly reached the Holocene due to later human arrival in the island.Haitian Macaya slothAcratocnus yeMost recent remains dated to 8540–1590 BCE (uncalibrated age). Cuban giant slothMegalocnus rodensCubaMost recent remains dated to 2280-2200 BCE.Lesser Haitian ground slothNeocnus comesHispaniolaMost recent remains dated to 2480–2400 BCE.Haitian pine forest slothNeocnus dousmanMost recent remains dated to 5226-5156 BCE.de Alvarenga Araujo, B. B. (2013) Pleistocene-Holocene extinctions: distinguishing between anthropic and climatic causes.Cuban rodent-like slothNeocnus gliriformisCubaMost recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE.Neocnus majorKnown from remains dating to either the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Possibly a synonym of N. gliriformis, with differences owing to sexual dimorphism, but this is rejected by other researchers.Haitian rak bwa slothNeocnus toupitiMassif de la Hotte, HaitiMost recent remains dated to 8540–1590 BCE (uncalibrated age).Paulocnus petrifactusCuraçaoKnown from the Pleistocene but possibly reached the Holocene due to later human arrival in the island.Matthew's ground slothParocnus browniiCubaMost recent remains dated to 3290-2730 BCE.Parocnus dominicanusSoutheastern Dominican RepublicKnown from remains dating to either the late Pleistocene or early Holocene.McAfee, R., Beery, S., Rimoli, R., Almonte, J., Lehman, P., & Cooke, S. (2021). New species of the ground sloth Parocnus from the late Pleistocene-early Holocene of Hispaniola. Vertebrate Anatomy, Morphology, Palaeontology, 9(1).Greater Haitian ground slothParocnus serusHispaniola, Tortuga, and Gonâve IslandMost recent remains dated to 8540–1590 BCE (uncalibrated age).

Rodents (order Rodentia)

Neotropical spiny rats (family Echimyidae)

Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesOriente cave ratBoromys offellaCubaMost recent remains dated to 7043-6503 BCE.Torre's cave ratBoromys torreiBrotomys contractusHispaniolaKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived into the Holocene due to humans arriving in the island later.Hispaniolan edible ratBrotomys voratusMost recent remains dated to 1550-1670 CE.Capromys antiquusCubaKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived into the Holocene due to humans arriving in the island later.Capromys arredondoiCapromys latusCapromys pappusCapromys pilorides lewisiGrand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, Cayman IslandsMost recently dated in Grand Cayman to 1439-1643 and in Cayman Brac to 1440–1624. A 1585 reference by Francis Drake to "coneys" and cat-sized "little beasts" on the islands could refer to this animal.Capromys robustusCubaKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived into the Holocene due to humans arriving in the island later.Geocapromys caymanensisGrand Cayman and Cayman Brac, Cayman IslandsMost recently dated at Cayman Brac to 666-857 CE.Morgan, Gary S., et al. "Late Quaternary fossil mammals from the Cayman Islands, West Indies." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2019.428 (2019): 1–82.Cuban coneyGeocapromys columbianusCubaKnown from subfossil remains associated with anthropogenically introduced mammalian species. Extinct after European contact.Geocapromys pleistocenicusMost recent remains dated to 7043-6503 BCE.Little Swan Island hutiaGeocapromys thoracatusLittle Swan Island, HondurasLast recorded in the early 1950s. It disappeared due to predation by cats introduced around the same time, though a hurricane in 1955 may have speeded up the process.Antillean cave ratHeteropsomys antillensisPuerto RicoPossibly extinct after European contact.Insular cave ratHeteropsomys insulansMost recent remains dated to 772–870 CE.Imposter hutiaHexolobodon phenaxHispaniolaExtinct after European contact. Remains possibly associated with anthropogenically introduced mammalian species.Hexolobodon sp.Southern HispaniolaMost recent remains dated to 2835-1691 BCE, but possibly disappeared after European contact.Montane hutiaIsolobodon montanusHispaniolaSubfossil remains associated with anthropogenically introduced mammalian species. Extinct after European contact.Puerto Rican hutiaIsolobodon portoricensisHispaniola and GonâveDomesticated to some extent by Native Americans and introduced to Puerto Rico, Mona Island, Vieques, and the Virgin Islands. Likely one of the animals mentioned by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés in 1535. Most recent remains in Puerto Real, Haiti were dated stratigraphically to 1503-1578, and in Mona to 1480-1655.Macrocapromys acevedoCubaMost recent remains dated to around 450 BCE.Mesocapromys barbouriExtinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene.Mesocapromys beatrizaeMesocapromys delicatusKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived into the Holocene due to humans arriving in the island later.Mesocapromys gracilisExtinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene.Mesocapromys kraglievichiMost recent remains dated after around 450 BCE.Mesocapromys minimusExtinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene.Mysateles jaumeiKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived into the Holocene due to humans arriving in the island later.Plagiodontia araeumHispaniolaExtinct in the Holocene.Samana hutiaPlagiodontia ipnaeumExtinct after European contact. Subfossil remains were found in archaeological sites associated with anthropogenically introduced mammalian species. It was possibly recorded as the quemi by Fernández de Oviedo between 1536 and 1546, and under the name comadrejainto the 20th century, though this late survival is unlikely.Puertoricomys corozalusPuerto RicoKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived into the Holocene due to humans arriving in the island later.Lemke's hutiaRhizoplagiodontia lemkeiMassif de la Hotte, HaitiMost recent remains dated to 2835-1691 BCE, but possibly disappeared after European contact.Woods' zagoutiZagoutomys woodsiHaitiMost recent remains dated to 5474-5330 BCE.Viñola-López, L. W. et al. (2024). New Quaternary mammals support regional endemism in western Hispaniola. Journal of Mammal Evolution, 31(25): 1-28.

Possibly extinct Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesDwarf hutiaMesocapromys nanusCiénaga de Zapata, CubaLast collected in 1951; a nest and pellets were found in 1978. The species is threatened by introduced predators (black rat, feral dog, feral cat, mongoose), fires (sometimes set for mosquito control), and deforestation for charcoal production.San Felipe hutiaMesocapromys sanfelipensisKey Juan García, CubaLast collected in 1978. It likely declined due to hunting after a military base was built on the island, fires set up by fishermen (both accidentally and for mosquito control), and predation by introduced black rats, cats, and dogs.

Giant hutias (family Heptaxodontidae)

Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsOsborn's key mouseClidomys osborniJamaicaKnown from the Pleistocene, but might have survived to the Holocene due to humans arriving later in the island.Plate-toothed giant hutiaElasmodontomys obliquusPuerto RicoMost recent remains dated to 511–407 BCE.Twisted-toothed mouseQuemisia gravisHispaniolaExtinct after European contact. Although not dated, remains were found along with introduced Rattus and there are probable references to it in early colonial literature.Tainotherium valeiPuerto RicoKnown from an undated femur from either the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Its morphology suggests arboreality, making unlikely that it became extinct when forests expanded in the Holocene. It might have become extinct due to human-induced habitat loss instead.Turvey, S. T., Grady, F. V., & Rye, P. (2006). A new genus and species of 'giant hutia'(Tainotherium valei) from the Quaternary of Puerto Rico: an extinct arboreal quadruped?. Journal of Zoology, 270(4), 585-594.Diminute Jamaican hutiaXaymaca fulvopulvisJamaicaMost recent remains dated to 9390–8220 BCE.

Hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice (family Cricetidae)