| Leithia Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Leithia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Gliridae |
| Subfamily: | Leithiinae |
| Genus: | †Leithia Lydekker, 1896 |
Leithia is a genus of extinct giant rodent from the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Sicily. It is considered an example of island gigantism.
Island Fossils[]
Leithia was proposed in 1896 by Richard Lydekker as the type genus of the Leithiinae. It is estimated to have weighed up to 113 g (4.0 oz). In the time before the Mediterranean islands were colonized by humans, dozens of mammal species endemic to the area, some unusually large like Leithia, some unusually small (such as pygmy elephants and hippopotamuses) lived in Malta and Sicily, while another giant dormouse, Hypnomys, lived on Mallorca to the west. In an instance of island gigantism, the dormice were able to grow large in the absence of predators on these islands, which otherwise force rodents to hide in holes or cracks, requiring them to be small. Two species of Leithia, namely Leithia melitensis (the Maltese giant dormouse) and Leithia cartei, lived in Sicily. The skull of L. melitensis was 10 cm long.
Gallery[]
