The Antillean Giant Rice Rat (Megalomys desmarestii) is an extinct rice rat from Martinique in the Caribbean. It was the largest species of West Indian rice rat, as big as a cat, has the largest testicles of any rodent (softball size), and was the last species to become extinct. When pursued, it often took to water and may have been partially aquatic. It was common on Martinique until the end of the nineteenth century. It was a pest in coconut plantations, and attempts were made to extrminate it. It was also hunted for food. To subdue its musky odour, people had to singe off its hair, expose its body overnight and boil it in two batches of water. At 7.52 a.m. on 8 May 1902, Mt. Pelée erupted, devastating the island. Only one human survived and the rice rat became extinct then, or during a later eruption in 1902. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascideiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary glands... Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Subfamilies see text Cricetidae is a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. ... Tribes See text The Sigmodontinae is one of the most diverse groups of mammals. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... ... In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus (Linnaeus, 1758) The cat, also called domestic cat or house cat, is a small feline carnivorous mammal of the subspecies Felis silvestris catus. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. Also a song by Harry Nilsson The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

See also

• Volcano for more information about Mt. Pelée

A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the Earths interior made molten or liquid by high temperature along with a reduction in pressure and/or the introduction of water or other volatiles) erupts through the surface of the planet. ...

External source

• Flannery, Tim & Schouten, Peter (2001). A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals. Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. ISBN 0871137976.