Ecuador fish rat
| Ecuador fish rat | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Anotomys | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1906 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Anotomys leander | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1906 |
The Ecuador fish rat ( Anotomys leander ) is a little-known rodent from the northern high Andes of Ecuador .
description
The head body length is 10 to 12 centimeters, and 13 to 15 centimeters of tail are added. The fur is slate-gray on top and gray-white on the underside. There is a distinctive white spot on the ear. The ears are barely visible from the outside, the ear openings can be closed in adaptation to aquatic life - a skill that is not found in related water-dwelling rodents. Despite its name, the Ecuadorian fish rat eats smaller animals than fish and is less well adapted to fish hunting than the related actual fish rats ( Ichthyomys ).
Occurrence and existence
For decades, the Ecuadorian fish rat was known only through a few specimens, until the zoologist Robert Voss was able to study the animals in detail in a mountain stream on the slopes of the Pichincha from 1978 to 1980 . All specimens of this species were seen at altitudes between 3600 and 3755 meters, so they are pronounced high mountain inhabitants.
The IUCN lists the Ecuador Fish rat as "high risk" ( endangered ), the data are more old than ten years.
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 .
Web links
- Anotomys leander in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2007. Posted by: L. Contreras, 1996. Retrieved on 13 August, 2008.