Western white-eared giant rat
| Western white-eared giant rat | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hyomys dammermani | ||||||||||||
| Stein , 1933 |
The western white-eared giant rat ( Hyomys dammermani ) is a rodent belonging to the genus of the white-eared giant rats ( Hyomys ). It was discovered in 1931 by the German zoologist Georg HW Stein in the Weyland Mountains in western New Guinea and described in 1933 as a subspecies of the Goliath rat ( Hyomys goliath ). In 1993 it received species status from Guy Musser and Michael D. Carleton . The Dutch zoologist Karel Willem Dammerman (1885–1951) is honored with the species name .
features
The western white-eared giant rat is smaller than the goliath rat. Females reach a head-torso length of 300 to 322 mm, a tail length of 245 to 318 mm, a hind foot length of 56 to 67 mm, an ear length of 25 to 28 mm and a weight of up to 985 g. The only measured male has a head-torso length of 320 mm, a tail length of 273 mm, a hind foot length of 52.1 mm, an ear length of 24.7 mm and a weight of 800 g. Compared to the goliath rat, the tail is proportionally shorter in relation to the head-trunk length (85 to 89 percent in the western white-eared giant rat against 95 to 98 percent in the goliath rat). In addition, the white tufts of hair around the ears are missing. The top hairs on the top are gray with white subterminal bands. The underside is dull white. The base of the undercoat hair is gray, apart from a white patch on the chest. The terminal two-thirds of the tail are white. The tail scales are keel-shaped and pointed. The fur of the western white-eared giant rat has a very noticeable odor.
The teat formula is 0/2 = 4.
Occurrence and habitat
The distribution area of the western white-eared giant rat extends from the Arfak Mountains in the west of Western New Guinea, over the Central Cordillera and the Weyland Mountains to the region of Mount Hagen in the east, where the Goliath rat takes its place. It is believed that further north there are other occurrences in appropriate habitats. However, further studies are necessary for this. The western white-eared giant rat lives in tropical wet forests, forest edges and old gardens at altitudes between 1300 m and 2800 m.
Way of life
The western white-eared giant rat inhabits burrows and is mostly ground-dwellers. Occasionally she climbs tree stumps. It searches for food in dense palm grass or sword grass stocks and feeds on the grass shoots. Occasionally she invades forest gardens in search of sweet potatoes . The burrow is always on the ground, often in the area of fallen trees and especially in the area where swordgrass stands. The western white-eared giant rat gives birth to only one cub per litter.
status
The IUCN lists the western white-eared giant rat in the “ data deficient ” category . Neither the area of distribution nor the degree of risk have been adequately studied. The species could be considered for one of the endangerment categories because of the hunt and the small litter size. On the other hand, however, the area of distribution could turn out to be much larger and there are no major threats, which would result in a classification in the category “not endangered” ( least concern ). The species is considered a food source by the indigenous peoples and is hunted with dogs.
literature
- George Henry Hamilton Tate : Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 65. The Rodents of Australia and New Guinea. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Vol. 97, No. 4, 1951, ISSN 0003-0090 , pp. 183-430, here p. 277.
- Timothy Flannery : The Mammals of New Guinea. Revised and updated edition. Reed Books, Sydney 1995, ISBN 0-7301-0411-7 , pp. 276-278.
Web links
- Hyomys dammermani inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Helgen, K., Wright, D., Allison, A., Aplin, K. & Dickman, C., 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Guy Musser , Michael D. Carlton: Order Rodentia. In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 2nd Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC et al. 1993, ISBN 1-560-98217-9 .