Giant naked-tailed rat

Last updated

Giant naked-tailed rat
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Uromys
Species:
U. anak
Binomial name
Uromys anak
Thomas, 1907

The giant naked-tailed rat (Uromys anak) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It lives in tropical forests, wetlands, and in degraded forests.

Contents

Names

It is known as abben in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea. [2]

Description

The rodents reach a body length of up to 20–34 cm, with another added 23–38 cm for its tail. It weighs between 350 and 1020 grams. Its fur is typically short and rough, varying in colour from grey to various shades of brown and black, with its underside being white or grey. Its tail is longer than its body and is uniformly black, with the basal part densely covered with reddish hairs.

Ecology

The species has been known to eat karuka nuts (Pandanus julianettii), [3] and growers will put platforms or other obstacles on the trunks of the trees to keep the pests out. [4] [3]

Notes

  1. Aplin, K.; Flannery, T. (2017). "Uromys anak". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22800A22447286. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T22800A22447286.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. Pawley, Andrew and Ralph Bulmer. 2011. A Dictionary of Kalam with Ethnographic Notes. Canberra. Pacific Linguistics.
  3. 1 2 Stilltoe, Paul (1983). Roots of the Earth: Crops in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Manchester, UK: Manchester university Press. ISBN   978-0-7190-0874-0. LCCN   82-62247. OCLC   9556314.
  4. French, Bruce R. (1982). Growing food in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea (PDF). AFTSEMU (Agricultural Field Trials, Surveys, Evaluation and Monitoring Unit) of the World Bank funded project in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. pp. 64–71. Retrieved 20 September 2018.

Related Research Articles

The earless water rat is a New Guinea rodent, part of the Hydromys group of the subfamily of Old World rats and mice (Murinae). It is the only species of the genus Crossomys. This species is probably most closely related to Baiyankamys. It is still unclear to which species this group is related. It is one of the most aquatically adapted rodents of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed pygmy possum</span> Species of marsupial

The long-tailed pygmy possum is a diprotodont marsupial found in the rainforests of northern Australia and New Guinea. Living at altitudes of above 1,500 m (4,900 ft), it eats insects and nectar, and may eat pollen in place of insects in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant white-tailed rat</span> Species of rodent

The giant white-tailed rat is an Australian rodent native to tropical rainforest of north Queensland, with subspecies occurring in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. It is one of the largest rodents in Australia, reaching up to 1 kg in weight. It is grey-brown above, cream to white below, and has a long, naked tail of which the distal section is white.

The squirrel-toothed rat, also known as the New Guinea giant rat, powerful-toothed rat, uneven-toothed rat, or narrow-toothed giant rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Anisomys and is found in New Guinea.

The eastern white-eared giant rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Papua New Guinea.

Rothschild's woolly rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found on the island of New Guinea: both in the West Papua region of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Lorentz's mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The rat is named after Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz, a Dutch explorer who passed through Lorentz National Park on his 1909–10 expedition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat</span> Species of rodent

The black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea.

The moss-forest rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The slender rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The Bismarck giant rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaty robin</span> Species of songbird native to New Guinea

The slaty robin, also known as the blue-grey robin, is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae, present in the New Guinea Highlands and sparsely in the island's northern areas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-throated robin</span> Species of songbird native to New Guinea

The black-throated robin is a species of passerine bird in the Australisian robin family Petroicidae. It is found on the island of New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests at 1,150–2,750 metres above sea-level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray dorcopsis</span> Species of marsupial

The gray dorcopsis or gray forest wallaby is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macleay's dorcopsis</span> Species of marsupial

Macleay's dorcopsis, also known as the Papuan dorcopsis or the Papuan forest wallaby, is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest]. Being little threatened by habitat destruction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".

Kalam is a Kalam language of Papua New Guinea. It is closely related to Kobon, and shares many of the features of that language. Kalam is spoken in Middle Ramu District of Madang Province and in Mount Hagen District of Western Highlands Province.

The long-nosed paramelomys is a species of rodent of the family Muridae endemic to New Guinea. It is found in the lowlands of the south of the country.

Dollman's melomys is a species of rodent from the family Muridae. It lives in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea at an elevation of at least 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and on the slopes of Mount Hagen and Mount Sisa. However, it is not found east of the Okapa area. It is an arboreal species occurring in montane secondary and degraded forest, preferring moist tropical environments. Formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat, the Dollman's melomys is also often listed as its binomial synonym, Melomys gracilis. The melomys is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, lack of threats, and tolerance of disturbance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karuka</span> Species of tree in the family Pandanaceae and regional food crop

The karuka is a species of tree in the family Pandanaceae and an important regional food crop in New Guinea. The nuts are more nutritious than coconuts, and are so popular that villagers in the highlands will move their entire households closer to trees for the harvest season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydromyini</span> Tribe of rodents

Hydromyini is a very large, diverse tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. They are the dominant native rodents in Australasia and one of only two native rodent groups there, the other being the R. fuscipes group of the genus Rattus in the tribe Rattini. They are also found in parts of Southeast Asia.

References