| Amazonian marsh rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | Holochilus |
| Species: | H. sciureus |
| Binomial name | |
| Holochilus sciureus Wagner, 1842 | |
The Amazonian marsh rat (Holochilus sciureus), [2] also known as the common marsh rat, [3] or simply the marsh rat, [1] is a rodent species from South America.
Amazonian marsh rats are smaller than the common brown rat, but otherwise have a similar appearance. They range from 13 to 22 cm (5.1 to 8.7 in) in head-body length, with a tail 12 to 18 cm (4.7 to 7.1 in) long, and typically weigh between 130 and 200 g (4.6 and 7.1 oz). They have short fur, which is tawny or buff over the back, becomes paler on the flanks, and fades to white or pale orange on the underparts. The hindfeet are noticeably larger than the forepaws, with prominent claws and partial webbing between the toes. There is also a slight fringe of longer, silvery, hair, around the soles of the feet. Females have eight or ten teats. [4]
Amazonian marsh rats are found across much of northern South America east of the Andes. [1] They inhabit open areas such as grasslands, savanna, marshes, clearings in the rainforest, and farmland, at elevations up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). Although the exact taxonomic status of some populations is unclear, two subspecies are currently recognised: [4]
Amazonian marsh rats feed primarily on grass stems, although they also eat some seeds, and small quantities of sedges, other plants, and even small invertebrates. They are nocturnal, occupying a home range of as little as 0.3 hectares (0.74 acres). Females construct spherical nests made of leaves in order to rear their young. These nests may be on the ground in dense vegetation or cracks in the earth, but are more commonly located 50 to 150 cm (20 to 59 in) above the ground, attached to sturdy stems such as those of sugar cane or rice plants. The inner lining of the nest consists of finely shredded leaves, with a more intact outer shell. [4]
Predators include caimans, rattlesnakes, barn owls, hawks, kites, and probably crab-eating foxes. [4]
They breed throughout the year, although the fertility of both sexes increases during periods of high rainfall. [5] Courtship lasts around 4 days before mating occurs, and gestation lasts 29 days. The female gives birth at night or at dawn to a litter of up to eight blind, hairless, pups, each measuring around 5 cm (2.0 in) and weighing 7 g (0.25 oz). The fur begins to appear after five days, and the first teeth emerge at ten days. The young are weaned a fifteen days, by which time their eyes have opened. The rats reach sexual maturity at three to four months, with females maturing more slowly than males. [4]
The muskrat is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, and is a resource of food and fur for humans.
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Holochilus chacarius, also known as the Chacoan marsh rat or Chaco marsh rat, is a semiaquatic rodent species in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Argentina and Paraguay within the Gran Chaco.
Holochilus is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae, sometimes called marsh rats. It contains five living species, H. brasiliensis, H. chacarius, H. nanus, H. oxe, and H. sciureus, which are widely distributed in South America east of the Andes. A fourth species from the Pleistocene of Bolivia was formerly classified as H. primigenus, but is now placed in the genus Reigomys.
The marsh rice rat is a semiaquatic North American rodent in the family Cricetidae. It usually occurs in wetland habitats, such as swamps and salt marshes. It is found mostly in the eastern and southern United States, from New Jersey and Kansas south to Florida and northeasternmost Tamaulipas, Mexico; its range previously extended further west and north, where it may have been a commensal in corn-cultivating communities. Weighing about 40 to 80 g, the marsh rice rat is a medium-sized rodent that resembles the common black and brown rat. The upperparts are generally gray-brown, but are reddish in many Florida populations. The feet show several specializations for life in the water. The skull is large and flattened, and is short at the front.
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The lesser bamboo rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is monotypic within the genus Cannomys. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand.
A pack rat or packrat, also called a woodrat or trade rat, are any species in the North and Central American rodent genus Neotoma. Pack rats have a rat-like appearance, with long tails, large ears, and large, black eyes. Pack rats are noticeably larger than deer mice, harvest mice, and grasshopper mice, and are usually somewhat larger than cotton rats.
The Amazonian grosbeak or Rothschild's grosbeak is a species of grosbeak in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is found in much of the Amazon Basin, in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
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The Ecuadorian squirrel monkey is a type of squirrel monkey. It had been considered a subspecies of the Guianan squirrel monkey, Saimiri sciureus, but was elevated to a full species, S. macrodon, based on a 2009 study by Carretero-Pinzón, et al. Based on subsequent genetic research by Jessica Lynch Alfaro, et al it was again reclassified as a subspecies of Humboldt's squirrel monkey.
