Telicomys

Telicomys is an extinct genus of rodent from the Solimões Formation, Brazil, South America.

Description

This rodent weighed approximately. With a length of more than in T. gigantissimus, it contains two or three of the largest rodents that ever lived, along with Phoberomys, Josephoartigasia, and the giant beaver. It is part of the same South American radiation of rodents as both Phoberomys and the modern capybara, which is the largest living rodent, reaching lengths of up to. The closest living relative to Telicomys is the pacarana.
Its name derives from Greek τηλικος + μυς = "a mouse of such a size".

Palaeobiology

Depending on the technique used to produce estimates, the bite force of T. giganteus has been reconstructed as being 500-1,000 N at the incisors, with some methods recovering a bite force as high as 2,000 N. It is believed that this powerful bite was used as a defence against potential predators.