African bush rats
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African bush rats ( Aethomys ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
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| Thomas , 1915 |
The African bush rats ( Aethomys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae).
General
At first glance, they look like real rats , but in contrast to them , they have white feet and thin tail hair. Their fur is short, it is colored red-brown, gray or yellowish on the back, the underside is light gray or white. They reach a head body length of 10 to 18 centimeters, in addition there is a 12 to 20 centimeter long tail. Their weight is 63 to 150 grams.
The animals are native to Africa south of the Sahara, their range extends from Cameroon and southern Sudan to South Africa . Their habitat is predominantly savannahs , but they can also be found on the edges of forests , in scrublands and other habitats.
As nocturnal animals, the bush rats hide during the day in burrows they have dug themselves, which are mostly hidden under bushes or stones or in termite mounds . At night they come out looking for seeds, nuts, fruits and roots. They also climb trees in search of food. The burrows are shared by small family groups, which are a couple and the offspring. Males in particular are intolerant and aggressive towards their peers.
Systematics
According to Wilson & Reeder (2005), the African bush rats with the genus Micaelamys form the Aethomys genus group within the Old World mice. Contrary to previous assumptions, they are only distantly related to rats . Rather, they are part of an African radiation from Old World mice and are close to the Arvicanthis group .
There are nine types:
- Aethomys bocagei lives in northwestern Angola.
- Aethomys chrysophilus is distributed from southeastern Kenya to Angola and South Africa.
- Aethomys hindei occurs from Cameroon to Sudan and Tanzania.
- Aethomys ineptus lives in northeastern South Africa and southern Mozambique.
- Aethomys kaiseri is distributed from Uganda and Kenya to Malawi and Angola.
- Aethomys nyikae occurs from southern Congo to Angola and Malawi.
- Aethomys silindensis is only known from eastern Zimbabwe.
- Aethomys stannarius lives in Nigeria and Cameroon.
- Aethomys thomasi occurs in Angola.
Two other species that formerly formed the subgenus Micaelamys are now classified as separate genera.
Danger
Besides A. silindensis and S. stannarius are available too little data for all kinds of be IUCN as not at risk ( least concern ) listed.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 , pp. 745-752.
- Emilie Lecompte, Ken Aplin, Christiane Denys, François Catzeflis, Marion Chades, Pascale Chevret: Phylogeny and biogeography of African Murinae based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, with a new tribal classification of the subfamily. In: BMC Evolutionary Biology. Vol. 8, 199, 2008, pp. 1-21, doi : 10.1186 / 1471-2148-8-199 .