Moonrat

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Moonrat [1]
Haarigel (Echinosorex gymnura).jpg
Echinosorex gymnura Harvard.jpg
Museum specimens of the two moonrat subspecies:

E. g. gymnura (above)
E. g. alba (below)

Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Erinaceidae
Subfamily: Galericinae
Genus: Echinosorex
Blainville, 1838
Species:
E. gymnura
Binomial name
Echinosorex gymnura
(Raffles, 1822)
Greater Moonrat area.png
Moonrat range

The moonrat (Echinosorex gymnura) is a southeast Asian species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae (the hedgehogs and gymnures). It is the only species in the genus Echinosorex. The moonrat is a fairly small, primarily carnivorous animal which, despite its name, is not closely related to rats or other rodents. The scientific name is sometimes given as Echinosorex gymnurus, but this is incorrect. [1]

Contents

Description

The moonrat has a distinct pungent odor with strong ammonia content, different from the musky smell of carnivorans. [3] There are two subspecies: E. g. gymnura is found in Sumatra and the Thai-Malay Peninsula; E. g. alba is found in Borneo. [4] In the former the head and frontal half of the body are white or grey-white; the remaining is mainly black. [5] The latter subspecies is generally white (alba means white in Latin), with a sparse scattering of black hairs; it appears totally white from a distance. Those from western Borneo tend to have a greater proportion of black hairs than those from the east, but animals from Brunei appear intermediate. [4] Largely white E. g. gymnura also occur, but they are rare. [5]

Head and body length is 32–40 cm (13–16 in), tail length is 20–29 cm (7.9–11.4 in), [6] hind foot length is 6.5–7.5 cm (2.6–3.0 in) and weight is 870–1,100 g (1.92–2.43 lb). [5] The dental formula is 3.1.4.33.1.4.3 × 2 = 44. [4] It is possibly the largest member of the order Erinaceomorpha, although the European hedgehog likely weighs a bit more at 1,000 g (2.2 lb) and up to 2,000 g (4.4 lb). [7]

Ecology and habitat

Moonrats are nocturnal and terrestrial, lying up under logs, roots or in abandoned burrows during the day. They inhabit moist forests including mangrove and swamp forests and often enter water. [2] [5] In Borneo, they occur mainly in forests, but in peninsular Malaysia they are also found in gardens and plantations. They feed on earthworms and various small animals, mostly arthropods. The moonrat is a host of the acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis echinosorexi . [8]

Lifespan

The lifespan of the moonrat is up to five years. [9]

Conservation status

The moonrat is not considered a threatened species. The main threat to the moonrat is deforestation activities due to human development for agriculture, plantation, and commercial logging. Moreover, other demands from Penan in Borneo for food and traditional medicinal contribute to decreasing numbers of moonrats in Borneo. [10] The species is also found in protected areas, including Matang National Park and Kuching Wetlands National Park. Its IUCN status is Least Concern. [2]

Economic importance

The Penan in Borneo used to trade moonrat meat for other foods and goods among themselves and for money. [9] [ dead link ]

Related Research Articles

Gymnures, also called hairy hedgehogs or moonrats, are mammals belonging to the subfamily Galericinae, in the family Erinaceidae and the order Eulipotyphla. Gymnures resemble rats but are not closely related as they are not rodents; they are instead closely related to hedgehogs, which also belong to Erinaceidae. They are thought to have appeared in Eastern Asia before their closest relatives, and changed little from the original ancestor, which is thought to have been also the ancestor of the shrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erinaceidae</span> Family of mammals

Erinaceidae is a family in the order Eulipotyphla, consisting of the hedgehogs and moonrats. Until recently, it was assigned to the order Erinaceomorpha, which has been subsumed with the paraphyletic Soricomorpha into Eulipotyphla. Eulipotyphla has been shown to be monophyletic; Soricomorpha is paraphyletic because Soricidae shared a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with other soricomorphs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsfield's tarsier</span> Species of primate

Horsfeld's tarsier is the only species of tarsier in the genus Cephalopachus. Named by American naturalist Thomas Horsfield, it is also referred to as western tarsier. The species occurs on Borneo, Sumatra and nearby islands and is, like other members of the group, entirely nocturnal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda stink badger</span> Species of carnivore

The Sunda stink badger, also called the Javan stink badger, teledu, Malay stink badger, Malay badger, Indonesian stink badger and Sunda skunk, is a mammal native to Indonesia and Malaysia. Despite the common name, stink badgers are not closely related to true badgers, and are, instead, Old World relatives of the skunks. Coincidentally, its local name sigung in Sundanese is a false cognate to skunk which is of Algonquian origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javan short-tailed gymnure</span> Species of mammal

The Javan short-tailed gymnure is a small mammal from the family of the Erinaceidae. The scientific name of the species is first published by Salomon Müller in 1840. This species used to include the dorsalis, maxi, and peguensis subspecies, but these have now been elevated to species of their own: the Bornean short-tailed gymnure, Max's short-tailed gymnure, and the northern short-tailed gymnure. In addition, two new species were created from two other populations of H. suillus. The range of this species is now limited to Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soricomorpha</span> Formerly used suborder of mammals

Soricomorpha is a formerly used taxon within the class of mammals. In the past it formed a significant group within the former order Insectivora. However, Insectivora was shown to be polyphyletic and various new orders were split off from it, including Afrosoricida, Macroscelidea, and Erinaceomorpha, with the four remaining extant and recent families of Soricomorpha shown here then being treated as a separate order. Insectivora was left empty and disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The common treeshrew is a small mammal in the treeshrew family Tupaiidae, and is native to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it remains common and displays some adaptability to ongoing habitat loss.

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

The Malayan field rat, Malaysian field rat or Malaysian wood rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is nocturnal and mainly arboreal and is found in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prevost's squirrel</span> Species of "beautiful" squirrel from Southeast Asia

Prevost's squirrel or Asian tri-colored squirrel is a colourful species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. Although the Prevost's squirrel is declining in some regions because of habitat loss and hunting, the species is not considered threatened since it generally remains common and widespread. It can live in somewhat disturbed habitats and often visits plantations or gardens. It mostly feeds on plant material, especially fruits, but also takes insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream-coloured giant squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The cream-coloured giant squirrel or pale giant squirrel is a large tree squirrel in the genus Ratufa found in forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra (Indonesia), Borneo and nearby small islands. The species is near threatened and vulnerable to habitat degradation, and it has probably been extirpated in Singapore where the last sighting was in 1995. Reported sightings in Vietnam in 1984 are considered to be dubious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North African hedgehog</span> Species of mammal

The North African hedgehog or Algerian hedgehog, is a mammal species in the family Erinaceidae native to Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. Little is known about this hedgehog, even though the most common breed of domesticated hedgehogs is a result of crossing a four-toed hedgehog with a North African hedgehog. Because this species of hedgehog is native to Africa, it has been suggested that it was introduced by humans to the other countries where it is now found, including Spain and the Canary Islands. Of the four African hedgehog species, the North African hedgehog is the only one of these hedgehogs that occurs outside Africa. Because the North African hedgehog has such a wide habitat range and has a seemingly stable population, both in the wild and in the domesticated capacity, it does not appear to currently be at risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainan gymnure</span> Species of mammal

The Hainan gymnure or Hainan moonrat is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It was thought to be endemic to the island of Hainan, China, where it is threatened due to habitat loss, but in 2018 was found to also occur in, and be rather common, in Northern Vietnam.

<i>Podogymnura truei</i> Species of mammal

Podogymnura truei, also known as the Mindanao gymnure, Mindanao moonrat, or Mindanao wood shrew, is a mammal of the family Erinaceidae. It is endemic to the Mindanao islands of the Philippines. Erinaceidae is a family of small mammals that include the gymnures, also known as the silky furred moonrats, and the hedgehogs. Animals belonging to this family are significant because they are among the oldest known placental mammals that are alive. Gymnures are relatives of hedgehogs but lack the prickly spines. Four species are categorized in the genus Podogymnura: P. aureospinula, P. intermedia, P. minima, and P. truei. All share a close resemblance to the moonrat Echinosorex gymnura, which is commonly found on the Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsulas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large flying fox</span> Species of fruit bat

The large flying fox, also known as the greater flying fox, Malayan flying fox, Malaysian flying fox, large fruit bat, kalang, or kalong, is a southeast Asian species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. Despite its scientific name, it feeds exclusively on fruits, nectar, and flowers, like the other flying foxes of the genus Pteropus. It is noted for being one of the largest bats. As with nearly all other Old World fruit bats, it lacks the ability to echolocate but compensates for it with well-developed eyesight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borneo fruit bat</span> Species of bat

The Borneo fruit bat is a species of megabat found in the mountains of Borneo, specifically East Malaysia and Brunei. It is considered a subspecies of Aethalops alecto by some authors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser short-nosed fruit bat</span> Species of bat

The lesser short-nosed fruit bat is a species of megabat within the family Pteropodidae. It is a small bat that lives in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It weighs between 21 and 32 grams, and measures 70 to 127 millimetres. It occurs in many types of habitat, but most frequently in disturbed forest, including lower montane forest and tropical lowland rain forest, plus gardens, mangroves, and vegetation on beaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-eared gymnure</span> Species of mammal

The long-eared gymnure is a eulipotyphlan that is found in Laos. This specific type of gymnure has long ears and a long skull compared to that of others. It is also recognized for its broad forefeet, stout claws, and naked hindfeet. While it was previously lumped in with the dwarf and short-tailed gymnures of the genus Hylomys, it is now placed in its own genus Otohylomys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean black magpie</span> Species of bird

The Bornean black magpie, also known as the black crested magpie, is a treepie in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.

References

  1. 1 2 Hutterer, R. (2005). "Order Erinaceomorpha". 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. 218. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 Cassola, F. (2016). "Echinosorex gymnura". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T40603A22326807. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T40603A22326807.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. Moonrat at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  4. 1 2 3 Payne, J. and Francis, C. M. 2005. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. Sabah society, Malaysia ISBN   9679994716.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Francis, C.M. (2008). A field guide to the mammals of South-East Asia. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. p. 176. ISBN   978-1-84537-735-9 . Retrieved 2011-04-06.
  6. Shepherd, Chris R.; Shepherd, Loretta Ann (2012). A Naturalist's Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia. Wiltshire, UK: John Beaufoy Publishing. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-906780-71-5.
  7. Wood, Gerald (1983). The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats . ISBN   978-0-85112-235-9.
  8. Deveaux, Timothy P.; Schmidt, Gerald D.; Krishnasamy, M. (1988). "Two New Species of Moniliformis (Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae) from Malaysia". The Journal of Parasitology. 74 (2): 322–5. doi:10.2307/3282462. JSTOR   3282462. PMID   3128654.
  9. 1 2 The Leading America Zoo Site on the Net. americazoo.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-19. Archived January 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Gymnures and hedgehogs". The Website of Everything. Retrieved 2012-12-19.