Shaggy swamp rats
| Shaggy swamp rats | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dasymys | ||||||||||||
| Peters , 1875 |
The shaggy swamp rats ( Dasymys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). Depending on the system, a distinction is made between five to nine types.
General
The shaggy swamp rats are stocky, heavily built old world mice. They reach a head body length of 11 to 19 centimeters, plus a 10 to 19 centimeter long tail. The weight varies between 50 and 150 grams. The fur is common, but not always long and shaggy, its color varies from olive brown to dark gray, the underside is usually whitish or light brown. The almost hairless tail is usually slightly shorter than the body. The ears are small and rounded.
These rodents are in Africa south of the Sahara is home, their range extends from Senegal and Ethiopia to South Africa . They mostly inhabit humid habitats such as swamps or reed belts, but sometimes also occur in forests or savannas. They are predominantly nocturnal and mostly stay on the ground - they can swim well, but not climb. They build arched nests of grass, which are often connected to an earthwork up to 2 meters long. The shaggy swamp rats feed mainly on aquatic plants, but to a lesser extent they also eat insects.
Systematics
According to Wilson & Reeder (2005), the shaggy swamp rats occupy an isolated position within the old world mice and are therefore classified in their own genus group, the Dasymys group. According to genetic studies by Lecompte et al. (2008) these animals are part of a predominantly African radiation of Old World mice, to which the Arvicanthis group and others are also included and which are summarized as Arvicanthini.
The internal system of this genre is controversial. Wilson & Reeder (2005) list the following nine types:
- Dasymys alleni lives in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in southwestern Tanzania.
- Dasymys cabrali occurs in the Okavango Basin in southern Africa.
- Dasymys foxi is endemic to the Jos Plateau in Nigeria.
- Dasymys incomtus lives in eastern and southern Africa.
- Dasymys montanus is endemic to the Ruwenzori Mountains in Uganda.
- Dasymys nudipes only lives in Angola.
- Dasymys rufulus occurs in western Africa from Senegal to Nigeria.
- Dasymys rwandae lives in the area of the Virunga volcanoes in Rwanda.
- Dasymys sua is endemic to Tanzania.
Information on the degree of endangerment is difficult because the IUCN only recognizes five species. It lists D. montanus as "high risk" ( endangered ).
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 .
- Emilie Lecompte, Ken Aplin, Christiane Denys, François Catzeflis, Marion Chades, Pascale Chevret: Phylogeny and biogeography of African Murinae based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, with a new tribal classification of the subfamily. In: BMC Evolutionary Biology. Vol. 8, 199, 2008, pp. 1-21, doi : 10.1186 / 1471-2148-8-199 .
