Torre's cave rat (Boromys torrei) was a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae (American spiny rats). It was endemic to Cuba, meaning it was found nowhere else in the world. Its natural habitat was subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The species name torrei honors the Cuban naturalist Carlos de la Torre y Huerta.
Conservation status: Extinct. The IUCN Red List classifies Boromys torrei as Extinct (IUCN 3.1). The species is known only from subfossil remains, some of which have been found in the same archaeological layer as Rattus sp. (introduced rats), suggesting that it may have survived until after European contact. Estimates for its last record vary, with some sources placing it around 1500 CE and others as late as 1850 CE.
Taxonomy:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Infraclass: Eutheria
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Echimyidae
- Genus: Boromys
- Species: †Boromys torrei (Allen, 1917)
Ecology: It was herbivorous, as are other members of the genus Boromys.
The species is one of several Caribbean rodents that went extinct following human settlement of the islands, likely due to a combination of habitat loss, hunting, and competition with or predation by introduced species such as rats.
