Brown shrew pouch rat
| Brown shrew pouch rat | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Monodelphis adusta | ||||||||||||
| ( Thomas , 1897) |
The brown shrew rat ( Monodelphis adusta , synonym : Peramys adusta ) lives in northwestern South America from the extreme east of the Panamanian province of Darién across the Andean region of Colombia to the Andes and the east of Ecuador, the outer north of Peru and the Venezuelan states of Mérida and Tachira .
description
The animals reach a head trunk length of 8.4 to 11.4 cm, have a 5 to 6.7 cm long tail and weigh 15 to 35 g. The fur is short (3 mm) and velvety. The back fur is brown to dark brown and darker at the back than at the front. The head is the same color as the back. Median stripes and dark circles are missing. The abdomen and throat are significantly lighter than the back and are gray or orange-gray in color. The middle of the abdomen can also be cream-colored or whitish and more or less clearly delimited from the surrounding fur. The feet are red brown, dark brown or blackish. The ears are hairless and dark gray-brown in color. The tail is hairless, dark brown or black in color and relatively short with a length of 60% of the length of the head. Females do not have a pouch. The number of teats is not known.
Way of life
The brown shrew-pouch rat occurs mainly in moist mountain forests at altitudes of 1400 to 2200 m, but has also been detected in rainforests, swamp forests and moist grasslands at heights of 200 m above sea level. The animals often live hidden under stones and wood near water or banana or yucca palm trees or in corn fields. They also invade the interior of houses. In the few gastric examinations carried out so far with this species, insects were found, especially the remains of adult beetles and beetle larvae, but also plant material and in one case a small frog. The brown shrew pouch rat uses tree hollows. A female caught in August had four pups on the teats.
status
The brown shrew pouch rat is considered safe by the IUCN . It has a large distribution area, is also found in some protected areas and changes in its habitat that are not too extensive by humans are usually tolerated.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d 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 147.
- ↑ Monodelphis adusta in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2015 Posted by: Solari, S. & Tarifa, T., 2015. Accessed September 19 of 2019.