Argentina fattail pouch rat
| Argentina fattail pouch rat | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Thylamys sponsorius | ||||||||||||
| ( Thomas , 1921) |
The Argentine fat- tailed rat ( Thylamys sponsorius ) occurs in the north of Argentina in the provinces of Catamarca , Jujuy and Tucumán , as well as in the south of Bolivia in the Tarija department .
description
The animals reach a head trunk length of 8.6 to 11.9 cm, have a 12.5 to 15.4 cm long tail and reach a weight of 15.5 to 62 g. The tail, which is used to store fat, is usually 135% of the length of the head. As usual with fat-tailed rats, the hair is banded with three different color zones. On the back and the top of the head the animals are colored brown-gray, in the face and on the sides of the body lighter. There is a dark stripe in the middle of the head. The peritoneum is yellowish or white. The eyes are surrounded by narrow dark rings. The ears are reddish in color. Front and rear paws are light gray to whitish. The females do not have a pouch. The number of teats is unknown. The Argentina fat-tailed rat karyotype consists of a chromosome set of 2n = 14 chromosomes (FN = 20).
Habitat and way of life
The Argentina fat-tailed pouch rat lives in dry thorn forests and scrub forests at altitudes of 515 to 3750 meters. Little is known about their diet, their activity patterns and their reproductive biology. Specimens with thick tails, in which fat was stored, were observed from May to July. A female with pups on her teats was caught in December.
Systematics
The Argentine fat-tailed rat was first described in 1921 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas and assigned as a subspecies to the elegant fat-tailed rat (then Marmosa elegans ). Today it is considered an independent species and belongs to the genus of the fat- tailed rat ( Thylamys ).
status
The IUCN does not list the Argentine fat-tailed rat as a separate species. Since its population is estimated to be relatively large, it has a large distribution area and occurs in some protected areas, it is considered safe.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Diego Astúa: Family Didelphidae (Opossums). in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6 . Page 179.