| Mus minotaurus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Mus |
| Species: | †M. minotaurus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Mus minotaurus Bate, 1942 | |
Mus minotaurus is an extinct species of mouse native toCrete during theLate Pleistocene-Holocene. It descended from aMus musculus (house mouse)-like ancestor that arrived on Crete during the lateMiddle Pleistocene, replacingKritimys, a large rat-like rodent that inhabited Crete during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. BothKritimys and the ancestor ofMus minotaurus,Mus bateae are found together in Stavrós Cave.[1] TheMus batae-minotaurus lineage shows a tendency to increase in size with time, an example ofisland gigantism, withMus minotaurus being one of the largest known members of the genusMus, with a body mass of approximately 54 grams,[1][2] over 3 times the size of its mainland ancestor.[3] It was likely heavily predated upon by the extinct endemicCretan owl, as evidenced by the abundance of its remains found in owl pellets.[4] It inhabited the island alongside a species of elephant (Palaeoloxodon creutzburgi), the radiation of endemicCandiacervus deer, theCretan otter, and theCretan shrew (which is still extant).[1]Mus minotaurus became extinct sometime during the Holocene epoch, with its remains apparently being found inNeolithic and earlyBronze Age sites on the island. Its extinction may have been due to competition with the closely related house mouse introduced to the island by humans during the early Bronze Age.[5]