| Broad-headed spiny rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Echimyidae |
| Subfamily: | Euryzygomatomyinae |
| Genus: | Clyomys |
| Species: | C. laticeps |
| Binomial name | |
| Clyomys laticeps Thomas, 1909 | |
| Synonyms | |
The broad-headed spiny rat (Clyomys laticeps) is a spiny rat species from South America. The etymology of the species name is the Latin word laticeps meaning "wide-headed".
The species has a head-body length that ranges from 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in), with a tail 5 to 9 cm (2.0 to 3.5 in) long, and weigh between 180 and 334 g (6.3 and 11.8 oz). They have short ears and limbs, and feet with powerful claws adapted for digging. The fur is interspersed with spines; it is grizzled reddish or yellowish and black over most of the body, and paler grey to almost white on the underparts. [2]
Broad-headed spiny rats are native to southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay, where they inhabit open cerrado habitats at elevations up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft). [1] Within this region, they are found only in unflooded grasslands and open-canopy savannah woodlands, where the soil is soft and suitable for burrowing. [3]
These rats live in colonies and spend much of their life underground. The burrows can be large and relatively complex, with tunnels 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) wide, spiralling down as much as 85 cm (33 in) to one or more nests lined with grass or containing food stocks. [2] They are herbivorous, and feed mainly on monocots. [4] Births are probably seasonal, with one or two young being born each year, and weaned by the end of the wet season. [2]
The painted tree-rat is a species of spiny rat from Brazil, restricted to north-eastern Bahia in eastern Brazil. It is the only species in the genus Callistomys.
Owl's spiny rat, Carterodon sulcidens, is a rodent species from South America in the family Echimyidae. It is found in Brazil. It is the only species in the genus Carterodon. The Owl's spiny rat has evolved from a single species that has had morphologies within members of different geological areas. In turn, its characteristics have evolved from the factors of its environment, such as the heightened ability to dig in open grasslands during environmental change.
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.
The Atlantic bamboo rat, or southern bamboo rat, is a spiny rat species from South America, 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 South America. It is known 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.
The short-tailed spiny-rat, Proechimys brevicauda, or Huallaga spiny rat, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Gardner's spiny-rat, Proechimys gardneri, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.
Goeldi's spiny-rat, Proechimys goeldii, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Brazil.
The Kulina spiny-rat, Proechimys kulinae or Javari spiny rat, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Brazil and Peru.
The long-tailed spiny rat, Proechimys longicaudatus, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
Roberto's spiny-rat, Proechimys roberti, or Para spiny rat, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Brazil.
The Napo spiny rat, Proechimys quadruplicatus, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
Simons's spiny rat, Proechimys simonsi, is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It was named for American scientific collector Perry O. Simons.
Yonenaga's Atlantic spiny-rat or torch-tail spiny rat is a spiny rat species endemic to Brazil. Locally, it is known as rabo de facho. Named for Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda, a cytogenetics researcher, it is considered an endangered species due to its highly restricted distribution and ongoing habitat loss. Genetic evidence shows that it diverged from its closest living relative, the hairy Atlantic spiny rat, around 8.5 million years ago, during the Late Miocene.
The woolly giant rat is a species of large burrowing rodent native to South America. No subspecies are currently recognised. It is the only member of the genus Kunsia.
The Atlantic spiny rats are all found in the genus Trinomys. They are a group of South American spiny-rats in the family Echimyidae.
Tome's spiny rat, also known as Tomes' spiny rat or the Central American spiny rat, is a species of spiny rat distributed from Honduras to Ecuador. The IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The armored rat is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is monotypic within the genus Hoplomys. It is found in Latin America, from northern Honduras to northwest Ecuador. It possesses a range of spines on its back and sides of the body.
Clyomys is a South American rodent genus in the family Echimyidae. It contains two species, found in tropical savannas and grasslands from circa 100 m (300 ft) to 1,100 m (3,600 ft) elevation in central Brazil and eastern Paraguay.
The Amazon bamboo rat is a species of spiny rat from the Amazon Basin of South America. It is also referred to as coro-coro, Toró, Rato-do-Bambú, or Rata del Bambú in different parts of its range. The bamboo rat prefers to reside in areas of dense vegetation, such as clumps of bamboo or in the canopy. 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.
