Galápagos Rodents That Should Not Exist

These mysterious rice rats are the only native land mammals of the Galápagos Islands. They miraculously survived the journey across hundreds of miles of open ocean to reach this volcanic archipelago.

While famous for giant tortoises and finches, the islands were notably devoid of land mammals until these rodents arrived. They evolved in complete isolation, adapting to harsh volcanic terrains where finding water is a constant challenge. Today, their existence is precarious, as human activity and invasive species have driven two of their five known species into extinction. Scientists continue to study these survivors to understand how tiny mammals colonize remote volcanic outposts.