Mane rat
| Mane rat | ||||||||||||
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Maned rat ( Lophiomys imhausi ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Lophiomys | ||||||||||||
| Milne-Edwards , 1867 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Lophiomys imhausi | ||||||||||||
| Milne-Edwards , 1867 |
The mane rat ( Lophiomys imhausi ) is an African rodent . It is a large species of the mice that has no living close relatives and is isolated in the biological system.
features
A mane rat has a head-torso length of around 30 centimeters, plus a 18-centimeter tail. The weight is around 750 grams. Females are on average larger than males. The shaggy fur is black or brown with white stripes and spots. These irregular patterns are distributed differently over the fur of each animal, so there is a high degree of variability. Only the tip of the tail is always white. It is named after a mane that runs from the top of the head over the back to the front quarter of the tail. This mane can be erected and is always darker in color than the surrounding fur. The part of the name "-ratte" is inappropriate, because with its blunt snout and the clumsy shape it does not resemble any other rodent, but when viewed from a distance it has almost the proportions of a porcupine . The head alone is similar in shape to that of a guinea pig .
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area of the maned rat extends from Sudan via Ethiopia , Somalia , Kenya and Uganda to Tanzania . It lives mainly in forests, but also in all other habitats, provided there are trees. With the opposable claws and long-fingered paws, the maned rat is adapted to a life in the trees. Although it climbs very well and also handles vertical logs, it generally moves very slowly. Only at night it looks for leaves and buds, which it eats sitting on its hind legs while the food is held between its front paws.
The maned rat also lived on the Arabian Peninsula until the 19th century . This is evidenced by bone finds and early travel reports. Today it seems to have died out there.
defense
If the mane rat is startled, it gives a hissing hiss and raises its mane on the back. This threatening gesture could be confused by some animals with a porcupine erecting its quills ( mimicry ).
In addition, the mane rat has an extraordinary defense strategy against predators. She chews the bark of a highly toxic plant ( Acokanthera schimperi ) and then applies her toxic saliva to the hair on her conspicuous back crest. The hair there has a double hair shaft, one of which has pores on the outside, which absorb the saliva particularly well. It is not yet clear why the poison has no effect on mane rats.
Systematics
The maned rat has no close relatives and was therefore usually led in its own subfamily (Lophiomyinae) or even family (Lophiomyidae). The systematic relationships with other species of mice have long been unclear. In the past it was often assigned to the voles . In 1973, the French paleontologist Lavocat put forward the theory that the mane rat had common ancestors with the Madagascar rats ; he united both in one family. This theory has now been refuted. Instead, according to molecular genetic studies by Jansa and Weksler (2004), the maned rat is classified in the long-tailed mouse (Muridae), where it forms the sister group of a clade of gerbils and Deomyinae .
The zoologist Oldfield Thomas described four species of mane rats in 1910, but later corrected himself by finding that all mane rats belonged to one species.
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 .
- Sharon A. Jansa, Marcelo Weksler: Phylogeny of Muroid Rodents. Relationships Within and Among Major Lineages as Determined by IRBP Gene Sequences. In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Vol. 31, No. 1, April 2004, ISSN 1055-7903 , pp. 256-276, doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2003.07.002 , PDF, 755 kB .
- Guy G. Musser , Michael D. Carleton : Muroidea. In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference . Volume 2. 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 , pp. 894-1531.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Royal Society Publishing: A poisonous surprise under the coat of the African crested rat , July 13, 2011 , last accessed August 3, 2011, English
- ^ Spiegel Online: Borrowed Gift , August 3, 2011 , last accessed August 3, 2011
- ↑ www.scinexx.de Rodent kills enemies with plant poison
Web links
- Lophiomys imhausi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: D. Schlitter, B. Agwanda, 2008. Accessed January 6 of 2009.
- Information on Animal Diversity Web
- The poisonous secret of the mane rat