South African lamellar tooth rat
| South African lamellar tooth rat | ||||||||||
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South African lamellar tooth rat |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Otomys irroratus | ||||||||||
| ( Brants , 1827) |
The South African lamellar tooth rat ( Otomys irroratus ) is a large member of the long-tailed mouse family with a body length of 13 to 20 centimeters and a tail length of 5 to 15 centimeters .
Appearance
These animals have a round body. The large head has a very flat forehead. The front limbs are short, the rear extremities are slightly longer. The tail is only very sparsely hairy. The coat color is brown in the area of the head. The rest of the body is colored gray.
distribution and habitat
The South African lamellar tooth rat occurs in southern Africa from Zimbabwe to South Africa . There she inhabits wet grasslands and swamps.
Way of life and reproduction
The animals are both diurnal and nocturnal and look for plant seeds, berries and grasses to feed on. In the vicinity of water they evade potential predators by diving into the water. The females are sexually mature at 10 weeks of age, the males at 13 weeks. Their natural enemies are mainly larger predators. Although these animals do little harm to agriculture, they are also carriers of ticks and diseases such as the plague .
Hazards and protective measures
Although individual subspecies are endangered, the species is still relatively widespread and is therefore classified by the IUCN as Least Concern .
literature
- The great world empire of the animals . Pp. 170, 171, Planet Media AG, Zug 1992, ISBN 3-8247-8614-1
Web links
- Otomys irroratus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Posted by: Taylor, PJ, Maree, S. & Monadjem, A., 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2016.