Emperor Giant Rat

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Emperor Giant Rat
Systematics
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Hydromyini
Uromys group
Genre : Mosaic Tail Giant Rats ( Uromys )
Type : Emperor Giant Rat
Scientific name
Uromys imperator
( Thomas , 1888)

The giant imperial rat ( Uromys imperator ) is an extinct rat species from the genus of the mosaic-tailed giant rats ( Uromys ). It was endemic to the island of Guadalcanal , which belongs to the Solomon Islands .

description

The giant imperial rat was a very large rodent with a short, bare tail covered with relatively small scales . The head-trunk length was 340 to 350 millimeters, the tail length 250 to 258 millimeters, the hind foot length 64 to 66 millimeters and the ear length 19 to 20 millimeters.

Occurrence and way of life

It probably survived the longest in the mountain rainforest , but its original range also extended to other areas of the island. Unlike most species of this genus, it lived primarily on the ground.

die out

The giant imperial rat is known only from three specimens collected between 1886 and 1888 near Aola , Guadalcanal. Based on stories from the local population about a large rodent living on the ground, Australian biologist Tim Flannery suspects that the giant imperial rat may have survived into the 1960s. The reason for their disappearance is believed to be due to feral cats, which were introduced to Guadalcanal during the British colonial era to control introduced rats. Since the giant imperial rat lived on the ground and did not develop defensive behavior, it was easy prey for the cats.

literature

  • Colin Groves , Tim Flannery : A revision of the genus Uromys Peters, 1867 (Muridae: Mammalia) with descriptions of two new species . In: Records of the Australian Museum , Vol. 46 (1994), pp. 145-170, ISSN  0067-1975 .
  • Tim Flannery: Mammals of the South-West Pacific and Moluccan Islands . Reed Books, Chatswood 1995, ISBN 0-7301-0417-6 .

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