| Jamaican Coney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Common Name | jamaican hutia |
| Range | Jamaica |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Capromyidae |
| Genus | Geocapromys |
| Species | G. brownii |
| Conservation Status | |
 Vulnerable | |
The Jamaican coney (Geocapromys brownii) also known as the Jamaican hutia or Browns Hutia, is a terrestrial land mammal found in the rocky, forested areas of Jamaica.
It is related to the hutias and more distantly to guinea pigs. It is the only extant native land mammal on Jamaica besides bats.
Description[]
The Jamaican coney is reddish brown in color and ranges in size from about 330 to 445 mm in length. It has the smallest tail of all the species in the genus (approximately 45mm). They have large heads, the largest in the genus and this gives them a squat appearance. They weigh between 1 and 2 kg.
Reproduction[]
The female reaches sexual maturity in about 365 days. The average gestation period is 123 days. There are usually 2 offspring per litter. A pair can only keep three babies at a time
Habitat[]
It is almost exclusively nocturnal, emerging at night to forage over a wide area on exposed roots, bark, shoots, fruits, and foliage of a large variety of plant species. This species lives in social family groups of two to six individuals. Smaller families, pairs, and single individuals apparently inhabit smaller or more accessible holes.