Amazon bamboo rat

Last updated

For Asian bamboo rats (family: Spalacidae), see Bamboo rat.

Contents

Amazon bamboo rat
Dactylomys dactylinus.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Echimyidae
Tribe: Echimyini
Genus: Dactylomys
Species:
D. dactylinus
Binomial name
Dactylomys dactylinus
(Desmarest, 1817)
Subspecies

D. d. canescens(Thomas, 1912)
D. d. dactylinus(Desmarest, 1817)
D. d. modestus(Lönnberg, 1921)

Dactylomys dactylinus range.svg
Amazon bamboo rat range

The Amazon bamboo rat (Dactylomys dactylinus) is a species of spiny rat from the Amazon Basin of South America. [2] [3] It is also referred to as coro-coro, Toró, Rato-do-Bambú, or Rata del Bambú in different parts of its range. [4] The bamboo rat prefers to reside in areas of dense vegetation, such as clumps of bamboo or in the canopy. [5] It is an arboreal browser, consuming primarily leaves and spending much of its time off the ground. Because the Amazon bamboo rat spends most of its time in heavily forested areas, it is difficult to observe, and not much is known about its habits.

Physical characteristics

The Amazon bamboo rat has a body length of over 60 centimetres (24 in) from the nose to the tip of the tail, [6] and weighs approximately 600–750 grams (21–26 oz). [5] The rat has a stout appearance, olive-grey fur streaked with black, and a tail with short, fine hairs. [6] It has elongated digits, which are an adaptation for the rat's frequent need to climb, hence the species name: dactylinus derives from the ancient greek word δάκτυλος (dáktulos), meaning "finger". [7] [8] [5] Its paws are covered with hundreds of bumps called tubercles to aid in climbing. [5] Despite being nocturnal, the Amazon bamboo rat has weak eyeshine. [5] The bamboo rat may benefit from weak eyeshine because it makes the rat more difficult to detect in the canopy, and because the rat moves so slowly that it does not require as much light. It has horizontally slit pupils, similar to those of a goat, to aid in its occasional diurnal activity. [5] Like other arboreal browsers, the Amazon bamboo rat has scent glands which it uses to mark its territory. [5]

Behavior

Due to the restricted diet of arboreal folivores, many of them move slowly to avoid wasting energy. The Amazon bamboo rat's slow and cautious manner of climbing has the added effect of making its movements completely silent, helping to protect it from predators. [5] Because the rat moves so slowly, its displacement may only reach 62 meters (about 203 feet) in a single night. [5] If a bamboo rat is quietly approached, it will back away slowly and silently; however, the rat is capable of disappearing swiftly into the foliage if necessary. [5] This behavior allows the rodent to minimize its energy usage.

Diet

The Amazon bamboo rat is a small folivore. It consumes only plants that are easily digested, in order to conserve energy. [5] The bamboo rat primarily consumes young leaves, stems, and petioles. [5] Because of its limited diet of bamboo and local vines, it is more abundant in regions of Latin America where its preferred food sources are plentiful.

Social

The Amazon bamboo rat is nocturnal, emitting its shrill cry throughout the night to communicate its presence to other bamboo rats. The bamboo rat's call consists of several explosive, low frequency pulses, as well as grunts of low amplitude, [5] which may indicate alarm or serve to communicate with other rats. [9] The Amazon bamboo rat has been observed to travel in pairs, commonly consisting of one male and one female. [5] Because the bamboo rat has not been studied in great detail, not much is known regarding its mating habits. One female Amazon bamboo rat was collected in Brazil in June bearing two embryos, one of which had a crown-rump length of 97 millimetres (3.8 in). [10]

Distribution

The Amazon bamboo rat lives in dense rainforest vegetation. There is also a report of its presence in a gallery forest in the cerrado. [6] It can be found in much of the Amazon Basin, in parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. [1] [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Isothrix</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

The toros or brush-tailed rats, genus Isothrix, are a group of spiny rats found in tropical South America, particularly in the Amazon Basin.

The broad-headed spiny rat is a spiny rat species from South America. The etymology of the species name is the Latin word laticeps meaning "wide-headed".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivian bamboo rat</span> Species of rodent

The Bolivian bamboo rat is a species of spiny rat from South America, particularly the southwest Amazon basin. A large, olivaceous rodent, it is nocturnal and feeds almost exclusively on bamboo.

The giant tree-rat is a species in the family Echimyidae, the spiny rats. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Toromys. It is endemic to Brazil, where it occurs in the flooded forest along the banks of the Amazon River and its tributaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic bamboo rat</span> Genus of South American spiny rats

The Atlantic bamboo rat, or southern bamboo rat, is a spiny rat species found in humid tropical forests in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. It is the only member of the genus Kannabateomys.

The tuft-tailed spiny tree rat is a spiny rat species from Brazil south of the Amazon River, where it has been found in grassland and gallery forest. It is the only species in the genus Lonchothrix. Very little is known about this rodent. It is small with an average adult weight of about 138 grams. It is nocturnal and solitary in habits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guyenne spiny rat</span> Species of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

The Guyenne spiny-rat or Cayenne spiny rat, is a spiny rat species found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.

Cuvier's spiny-rat is a spiny rat species found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.

The stiff-spine spiny-rat or Tefe spiny rat, is a spiny rat species found in Brazil and Colombia.

The Guyanan spiny-rat is a spiny rat species found in Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. The species was first described by George Henry Hamilton Tate in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert's spiny rat</span> Species of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

Robert's spiny-rat or Para spiny rat, is a spiny rat species found in Brazil. This species is named after the collector Alphonso Robert, who collected the holotype of this species in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steere's spiny rat</span> Species of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

Steere's spiny rat is a spiny rat species found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru.

Phyllomys is a genus of arboreal spiny rat, geographically restricted to the forests of eastern Brazil.

<i>Mesomys</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

Mesomys is a genus of South American spiny rats in the family Echimyidae.

<i>Dactylomys</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents


Dactylomys is the genus of South American bamboo rats They are arboreal members of the family Echimyidae.

<i>Olallamys</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

Olallamys is a genus of Andean soft-furred spiny rat that range from Panama through Colombia and Venezuela to northern Ecuador. These species are typically found at elevations above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

<i>Diplomys</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

Diplomys is a genus of rodent in the family Echimyidae. They are found in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama.

Pattonomys is a genus of rodent in the family Echimyidae, named after American mammalogist James L. Patton. It contains the following species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echimyidae</span> Family of rodents

Echimyidae is the family of neotropical spiny rats and their fossil relatives. This is the most species-rich family of hystricognath rodents. It is probably also the most ecologically diverse, with members ranging from fully arboreal to terrestrial to fossorial to semiaquatic habits. They presently exist mainly in South America; three members of the family also range into Central America, and the hutias are found in the West Indies in the Caribbean. Species of the extinct subfamily Heteropsomyinae formerly lived on Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico in the Antilles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echimyini</span> A tribe of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

Echimyini is a tribe of echimyid rodents, proposed in 2016, and containing 13 extant genera: all of the tree rats Echimys, Phyllomys, Makalata, Pattonomys, Toromys, Diplomys, Santamartamys, and Isothrix, the long recognized dactylomines Dactylomys, Olallamys, and Kannabateomys, and the enigmatic and previously classified as eumysopines Lonchothrix and Mesomys. All these spiny rats genera are arboreal. Worth of note, the arboreal genus Callistomys – the painted-tree rat – does not belong to the tribe Echimyini. Because it is phylogenetically closer to Myocastor, Hoplomys, Proechimys, and Thrichomys than to the above-mentioned Echimyini genera, it is classified in the tribe Myocastorini.

References

  1. 1 2 Patton, J.; Marinho, F. (2016). "Dactylomys dactylinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T6221A22209690. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T6221A22209690.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Species Dactylomys dactylinus". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1576. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. ↑ Pearson, David L., and Les Beletsky. Travellers' Wildlife Guides: Peru. Northampton: Interlink. (2008)
  4. ↑ InfoNatura: Animals and Ecosystems of Latin America. (2007) Version 5.0. Arlington, Virginia (USA): NatureServe. . 3 May 2011. Archived 2 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Emmons, Louise H. (31 March 1981). "Morphological, Ecological, and Behavioral Adaptations for Arboreal Browsing in Dactylomys dactylinus (Rodentia, Echimyidae)". Journal of Mammalogy. 62 (1): 183–189. doi:10.2307/1380493. ISSN   0022-2372. JSTOR   1380493.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Bezerra, Alexandra, Nelson Da Silva, Jr., and Jader Marinho-Filho. The Amazon Bamboo Rat Dactylomys dactylinus in the Cerrado of Central Brazil. Biotaneo Tropica. Biota Neotropica. (29 March 2007). 10 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Bailly, Anatole (1 January 1981). Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français. Paris: Hachette. ISBN   978-2010035289. OCLC   461974285.
  8. ↑ Bailly, Anatole. "Greek-french dictionary online". tabularium.be. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  9. ↑ LaVal, Richard K. (1976) Voice and Habitat of Dactylomys dactylinus (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in Ecuador. Journal of Mammalogy 57:2, 402-404.
  10. ↑ Fabre, P.-H.; Patton, J.L.; Leite, Y.L.R. (2016). "Family Echimyidae (Hutias, Coypu and South American Spiny-rats)". In Wilson, D.E.; Lacher, T.E.; Mittermeier, R.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 6. Lagomorphs and Rodents I. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 624–625. ISBN   978-84-941892-3-4.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.