African soft rats
| African soft rats | ||||||||||||
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Praomys daltoni |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Praomys | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1915 |
The African soft rats ( Praomys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). The genus includes 16 species.
General
The name-giving feature of these rodents is their soft fur, which can be short or long depending on the species. Its color varies on the upper side from yellow to reddish brown to gray, the underside is white, yellow or light gray. The physique is slim, the head pointed and the ears large and rounded. The animals reach a head body length of 9 to 14 centimeters, the tail measures 11 to 17 centimeters and the weight is 21 to 57 grams.
African soft rats are in Africa south of the Sahara is home, their range extends from Senegal and southern Sudan to Angola and Malawi . Their habitat are mainly moist forests.
These animals are nocturnal and spend at least some of the time in the trees. They build leaf nests in the trees or on the ground, some species also dig short burrows. They are omnivores that feed on fruits, seeds and green parts of plants, but also on insects.
Systematics
16 types are distinguished:
- Praomys daltoni is widespread in western Africa.
- Praomys degraaffi lives in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
- Praomys delectorum lives in mountainous regions in eastern Africa.
- Praomys derooi occurs from Ghana to Nigeria.
- Praomys hartwigi is only known from the region around Mount Oku in Cameroon.
- Praomys jacksoni lives in large parts of central Africa.
- Praomys lukolelae occurs in the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Praomys minor is also only known from the Congo Basin.
- Praomys misonnei lives in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Kenya and Uganda.
- Praomys morio lives in Cameroon and the island of Bioko.
- Praomys mutoni is only known from an area in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Praomys obscurus only lives in southeastern Nigeria.
- Praomys petteri is widespread from Cameroon to the Republic of the Congo.
- Praomys rostratus occurs in West Africa from Senegal to Ghana.
- Praomys tullbergi lives in large parts of West Africa.
- Praomys verschureni lives in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The IUCN lists P. hartwigi , P. morio and P. obscurus as ( "high risk" endangered ), P. degraaffi as "at risk" ( vulnerable ) and P. delectorum as "low risk" ( near threatened ). Exact data are missing for P. minor , P. mutoni and P. verschureni , the other species are not endangered.
The genus is systematically part of the Stenocephalemys group .
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 .
