Desmarest's hutia or the Cuban hutia (Capromys pilorides) is a stout, furry, rat-like mammal found only on Cuba and nearby islands. Growing to about 60 cm (2 ft), it normally lives in pairs and feeds on leaves, fruit, bark and sometimes small animals.

Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía[1]) are moderately large cavy -like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands. Most species are restricted to Cuba, but species are known from all of the Greater Antilles, as well as The Bahamas and (formerly) Little Swan Island off of Honduras.

Feb 5, 2025 · Hutias are native to the Caribbean Islands, with most species primarily found in Cuba. They also inhabit the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Swan Islands off the coast of Honduras. Once widespread from sea level to high elevations, their populations are now scattered across cays, steep ravines, remote mountain valleys, and coastal areas.

Desmarest’s hutia, a specimen of which is on display in ¡Cuba!, is one of them. Weighing in at up to 15 pounds, this rodent is the largest living endemic mammal found in Cuba. Hutias have a long history on the island.

Dec 10, 2024 · A new study now shows, based on museum specimens, that the Cuban species is actually two distinct species: Desmarest’s hutia on the eastern part of Cuba, and the western conga hutia (Capromys geayi) on the western side.

The long-tailed Cuban hutias are nocturnal and entirely arboreal and thus rarely descend from tree crowns. They resemble tree squirrels as they run along branches and leap from one tree to another. Hutias eat roots, tubers, leaves, stems, and bark; Desmarest’s Cuban hutia also consumes small vertebrates.

Dec 6, 2024 · New genetic research of museum specimens has found that the large rodents known as hutias on Cuba are two distinct species, not one as previously thought.

The Desmarest's hutia (Capromys pilorides) is a species of rodent endemic to Cuba. It is the largest of the extant species of hutia (although the extinct Giant hutias were far larger). The Desmarest's hutia has thick, coarse fur which extends to the tip of the tail.

We evaluated the current status of the hutia population in southeastern Cuba through (1) estimation of population density via walking and driving surveys, and (2) hutia spatial ecology via Global Positioning System (GPS) collars.

May 11, 2021 · Cuba is home for 10 endemic species of hutia. Three of these have become scarce, or extinct, in some parts of their historical range, but remain sufficiently abundant elsewhere to make their conservation of no immediate concern.