Giant naked-tailed rat
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.
| Giant naked-tailed rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Uromys |
| Species: | U. anak |
| Binomial name | |
| Uromys anak Thomas, 1907 | |
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
- 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.
- Pawley, Andrew and Ralph Bulmer. 2011. A Dictionary of Kalam with Ethnographic Notes. Canberra. Pacific Linguistics.
- 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.
- 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.
References
- Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.