Great Sulawesi shrew rats
| Great Sulawesi shrew rats | ||||||||||||
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| Tateomys | ||||||||||||
| Musser , 1969 |
The large Sulawesi shrew rats ( Tateomys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). The genus includes two types.
The head body length of the great Sulawesi shrew rats is 11 to 14 centimeters, the tail measures 15 to 17 centimeters and the weight is 35 to 100 grams. The soft, dense fur is colored gray on the upper side, the underside is white. The head is large, the muzzle is elongated, the front paws are large and strong.
These animals are endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi . They inhabit moist, cool mountain forests at 2000 to 2300 meters above sea level. They are nocturnal animals that obviously feed on earthworms without exception.
Systematics
The great Sulawesi shrew rats are part of the Melasmothrix group , a small radiation of the old world mice living on Sulawesi.
The two types are
- Tateomys macrocercus from a small area in Central Sulawesi and
- Tateomys rhinogradoides , also from central Sulawesi.
Both species are known only from relatively few finds. Therefore, no precise statements can be made about the degree of risk, the IUCN lists both types under “too little data available” ( data deficient ).
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 .
