Yucatan Vesper Rat
| Yucatan Vesper Rat | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Otonyctomys | ||||||||||||
| Anthony , 1932 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Otonyctomys hatti | ||||||||||||
| Anthony , 1932 |
The Yucatan Vesper rat ( Otonyctomys hatti ) is in Central America living rodent species from the group of New world .
Yucatán Vesper rats reach a head body length of 10 to 12 centimeters and a tail length of 10 to 13 centimeters, the weight is around 30 grams. The fur is reddish-brown on the upper side, light brown on the flanks and white on the belly. The ears are sparse with hair. It differs from the closely related Vesper rat by its distinctly reddish fur and details in the structure of the skull.
These animals live on the Yucatán Peninsula in eastern Mexico , northern Guatemala, and northern Belize .
Little is known about their way of life. They are likely to live on trees and rarely come to the ground and are probably nocturnal. They may be eating fruit because two animals were caught in traps that were baited with bananas. Little is known about the degree of endangerment either ; the IUCN lists them as not endangered.
Apart from the closely related Vesperratte, it is largely isolated in the New World mouse system. It is classified in the subfamily of the Tylomyinae , but this is uncertain.
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 .
Web links
- Otonyctomys hatti in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006 Posted by: J. Baillie, 1996. Retrieved on 1 August, 2008.