Cuban hutia (Capromys pilorides) the largest endemic mammal in Cuba

Scientific name: Capromys pilorides
Common name (english): Cuban Hutia
Common name (spanish): Jutia Conga

The Cuban hutia (Capromys pilorides) is the largest native mammal occurring in Cuba. Endemic to the West Indies, most species of hutia are rare or extinct because of over-harvesting, exotic species introductions, and habitat modifications by humans.

Cuban hutias, also known as Desmarest's hutias, are the largest species of hutia. They have a head and body length of 18 to 35 inches (46 to 90 centimeters), a tail length of 6 to 12 inches (15.2 to 30 centimeters) and a weight of 6.6 to 18.7 pounds (3 to 8.5 kilograms). They have short, stocky legs and "waddle" when they move. Their feet are broad and each foot has five toes with prominent claws.

They have thick, coarse fur and on the upper body, which can be various shades of black, gray, brown, red, yellow, and cream. Their underside fur is usually softer and a lighter shade.

These hutias live on mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands. Their habitat includes tropical rainforest, mangrove forests, marshy areas, scrubland, and the mountains of eastern Cuba.

Cuban hutias are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and flesh, but eat mostly plants. Their diet includes leaves, fruit, bark, lizards, and small animals.

Cuban hutias are shy and usually live in pairs, although pairs have often been observed living in larger, loosely-associated groups. They are extremely social among others of their species. They are primarily arboreal, meaning they live mostly in treetops, and diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day. One of the Cuban hutias' main types of social behavior is a combination of grooming and play wrestling between a pair.

Cuban hutias breed all year but births peak in June. Females have a gestation period, the length of time they carry their young in the womb, of 110 to 140 days. Females have one to six babies per litter with the average litter size of two or three offspring. The mothers nurse their young until they are about five months old and reach sexual maturity at ten months. The average lifespan is eight to eleven years.