Dwarf hutia
Mesocapromys nanus (G. M. Allen, 1917)
CRCritically Endangeredrodents
The dwarf hutia (Mesocapromys nanus) is a species in the family Echimyidae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh about 583.3 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.
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Quick facts about the dwarf hutia
- Weight
- 583.3 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the dwarf hutia live?
Not recorded
What is the dwarf hutia?
The dwarf hutia (Mesocapromys nana) is a small, critically endangered, rat-like mammal known only from Cuba. Aside from tracks, it was last seen in 1937 and may be extinct. It gives birth to only a single offspring at a time, and is threatened by habitat loss and non-native species such as rats and mongoose. The dwarf hutia belongs to the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct.
From the Wikipedia article “Dwarf hutia” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dwarf_hutia&oldid=1371293722), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the dwarf hutia endangered?
The dwarf hutia is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.
How is the dwarf hutia classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyEchimyidae
- genusMesocapromys
- SpeciesMesocapromys nanus (G. M. Allen, 1917)
Synonyms Capromys nana
Other names and names in other languages (8)
- hutia zakrsláCzech
- Jutía EnanaSpanish
- matanzasinhutiaFinnish
- コビトフチアJapanese
- DvergbeverrotteNorwegian Bokmål
- DwerghutiaDutch
- skrytohutia karłowataPolish
- Hutia-anãPortuguese
Relatives of the dwarf hutia
Other species in the same genus Mesocapromys.
Cabrera's hutia
Mesocapromys angelcabrerai
San Felipe hutia
Mesocapromys sanfelipensis
Black-tailed hutia
Mesocapromys melanurus
Eared hutia
Mesocapromys auritus
CompareDwarf hutia vs Cabrera's hutiaDwarf hutia vs San Felipe hutiaDwarf hutia vs Black-tailed hutiaDwarf hutia vs Eared hutia
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the dwarf hutia?
An adult dwarf hutia weighs 583.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the dwarf hutia endangered?
The dwarf hutia is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the dwarf hutia?
The dwarf hutia (Mesocapromys nanus) belongs to the family Echimyidae in the order Rodentia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Dwarf hutia (Mesocapromys nanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dwarf-hutia
“Dwarf hutia (Mesocapromys nanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/dwarf-hutia.
@misc{dwarf_hutia_2026,
title = {Dwarf hutia (Mesocapromys nanus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/dwarf-hutia},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}