Bahamian Hutia
CR

Bahamian Hutia

Geocapromys ingrahami

Declining

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahamian_hutia

Overview

The Bahamian hutia or Ingraham's hutia is a small, furry, rat-like mammal found only in the Bahamas. About the size of a rabbit, it lives in burrows in forests or shrubland, emerging at night to feed on leaves, fruit, and other plant matter. It was believed extinct until rediscovery in 1964, and it remains the focus of conservation efforts.

The Bahamian hutia is a member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean, many of which are endangered or extinct.

The Bahamian hutia faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from coastal development and tourism infrastructure expansion across its limited island range. Introduced predators, particularly feral cats and dogs, pose a significant threat to this ground-dwelling rodent, while invasive plant species alter the native vegetation communities it depends upon for food and shelter. Hurricane damage to critical habitat areas has further reduced available refugia for the remaining fragmented populations.

Threat summary

Habitat

The Bahamian hutia inhabits dry limestone forests, coastal scrublands, and rocky crevices throughout the Bahama Islands. It prefers areas with dense native vegetation that provide both food sources and protective cover from predators.

Shrubland· majorDesert· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies managementSpecies recoverySpecies reintroduction

Other threatened species in CAPROMYIDAE

Dwarf HutiaCR

Dwarf Hutia

Mesocapromys nanus

Unknown
CR

Little Earth Hutia

Mesocapromys sanfelipensis

Unknown
VU

Black-tailed Hutia

Mysateles melanurus

Declining
Jamaican HutiaEN

Jamaican Hutia

Geocapromys brownii

Declining

Threatened in Bahamas

Oriente Yellow-mottled FrogVU

Oriente Yellow-mottled Frog

Eleutherodactylus ricordii

Declining
Humped BladderwortCR

Humped Bladderwort

Utricularia gibba

Unknown
EN

Atlantic Chupare

Styracura schmardae

Declining
CR

Spermacoce felis-insulae

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Bahamian Hutia classified as Critically Endangered?
Bahamian Hutia is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Bahamian hutia faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from coastal development and tourism infrastructure expansion across its limited island range. Introduced predators, particularly feral cats and dogs, pose a significant threat to this ground-dwelling rodent, while invasive plant species alter the native vegetation communities it depends upon for food and shelter. Hurricane damage to critical habitat areas has further reduced available refugia for the remaining fragmented populations.
Where does Bahamian Hutia live?
Bahamian Hutia occurs in Bahamas. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Bahamian Hutia?
The main threats to Bahamian Hutia are 12.1, 5.1, 8.1, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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