Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Jamaican coney (Geocapromys brownii), recorded as Endangered
Jamaican coney (Geocapromys brownii). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Jamaican coney

Geocapromys brownii

The Jamaican coney, also known as the Jamaican hutia or Brown's hutia, is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal found only on the island of Jamaica.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Geocapromys brownii
Taxonomy
Mammalia · Rodentia · Capromyidae · Geocapromys

Appearance

It is reddish brown/yellowish brown in colour, and ranges in size from about 330 to 445 mm in length. The Jamaican coney, also known as the Jamaican hutia or Brown's hutia, is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal found only on the island of Jamaica.

It has the smallest tail of all the species in the genus (approximately 45mm).

The Jamaican coney is generally about the size of a cottontail rabbit, and mature adults usually weigh between 1 and 2 kg.

Published measurements include mass about 1.5.

Range and habitat

G. Brownii only occurs in Jamaica, mainly in the more remote locations and mountainous regions. Thomas Parishes in the east of the island, to as far west as the Harris Savannah and the Brazilletto Mountains in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. It is currently endangered by habitat loss, hunting, and non-native species. It persists only in remote mountains.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet and breeding

Jamaican hutias are almost exclusively nocturnal mammals. As night foragers, they feed on a large variety of food sources, among them fruits, exposed roots, bark, and the foliage from many different plant species.

The young are born extremely precocial, and can walk at birth as well as eat adult foods within about 30 hours of birth. About the size of a rabbit, it lives in group nests and is active at night to feed on fruit, bark, and other plant matter.

In crisis

Jamaican coney is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Jamaican coney, Wikidata item Q673224. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Bahamian hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Bahamian hutia

Geocapromys ingrahami
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Jamaican coney?
The Jamaican coney, also known as the Jamaican hutia or Brown's hutia, is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal found only on the island of Jamaica.
What is the conservation status of Jamaican coney?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Geocapromys brownii. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Jamaican coney live?
It is currently endangered by habitat loss, hunting, and non-native species. It persists only in remote mountains.
Why is Jamaican coney in crisis?
The Jamaican coney, also known as the Jamaican hutia or Brown's hutia, is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal found only on the island of Jamaica.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Geocapromys brownii?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Jamaican coney a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.