The Jamaican hutia lives in the island's interior and has a stocky build. It shelters in limestone crevices and rock tunnels, then searches for plants at night.
It has a stocky body and thick, coarse fur on its back. The fur ranges from reddish brown to almost black.
It leaves its rock shelter at night to search for roots, bark, shoots, fruit, and other plant parts. It rests in crevices or tunnels by day.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.