Flores giant rats
| Flores giant rats | ||||||||||||
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Jaw with teeth from Papagomys theodorverhoeveni (above) and Papagomys armandvillei (below), type specimens |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Papagomys | ||||||||||||
| Sody , 1941 |
The Flores giant rats ( Papagomys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). The genus includes two species, one of which is extinct.
The living species, Papagomys armandvillei , reaches a head body length of 41 to 45 centimeters, the tail measures 33 to 37 centimeters. Their fur is dark brown on the back, the underside is light brown in color. The tail is covered with large scales, the ears are small and rounded.
It occurs on the Indonesian island of Flores , its habitat are forests. She is a soil dweller and lives in earthworks. It is hunted in some places for its meat and is likely to suffer from the destruction of its habitat. The IUCN lists the species as " near threatened ". This giant rat is also native to the Timor - Wetar region.
The second species, named after Theodor Verhoeven by Guy Musser in 1981 , Papagomys theodorverhoeveni , is known from subfossil remains that are around 3000 to 4000 years old. It was a little smaller than P. armandvillei . The reasons or the exact timing of the extinction are unknown. But it is also possible that the species has survived to this day in a small area and has just not yet been discovered.
The Flores giant rats are systematically classified in the Rattus group, i.e. they are closely related to the rats .
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 .
