View source for Cane rat

{{Short description|Genus of rodents resembling guinea pigs}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2007}}
{{Automatic taxobox
 | name = Cane rats
 | fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Eocene|Recent}}
 | image = Grand aulacode male.jpg 
 | image_caption = A man with a greater cane rat (''[[Thryonomys swinderianus]]'')
 | display_parents = 4
 | parent_authority =
 | taxon = Thryonomys
 | authority = [[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], 1867
 | type_species = ''[[Thryonomys swinderianus|Aulacodus swinderianus]]''
 | type_species_authority = [[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]], 1827
 | subdivision_ranks = Species
 | subdivision = ''[[Thryonomys gregorianus]]'' ([[lesser cane rat]])<br>
''[[Thryonomys swinderianus]]'' ([[greater cane rat]])
 | range_map = Thryonomys range map.png
 | range_map_caption = Reconstructed range of ''Thryonomys gregorianus'' (orange) and ''Thryonomys swinderianus'' (red), with overlapping ranges in stripe pattern
}}
The genus '''''Thryonomys''''', also known as the '''cane rats''' or '''grasscutters''', is a genus of [[rodent]] found throughout [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], the only extant members of the [[family (biology)|family]] ''[[Thryonomyidae]]''.<ref name = MSW3>{{MSW3 Hystricognathi | id = 13400086 | page = 1545}}</ref> They are eaten in some African countries and are a [[pest species]] on many crops.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151207-the-countries-where-rats-are-on-the-menu |first=Karl |last=Gruber |publisher=[[BBC]] |title=While rats are met with revulsion in most parts of the world, some communities put rodents pride of place on the dinner menu |date=2015-12-07 |access-date=2021-08-14 }}</ref> The family name comes from the Greek word ''thryon'', meaning a "rush" or "reed" and ''mys'' meaning "mouse".

==Characteristics==
Cane rats range in body length from 35–60&nbsp;centimetres. They attain weights of around 3-6kg and in some cases up to 10kg. They are heavily built rodents, with bristly brown fur speckled with yellow or grey. They live in [[marsh]]y areas and along river and lake banks, and are [[herbivore]]s, feeding on aquatic grasses in the wild. In agricultural areas they will – as the name suggests – feed on [[sugarcane]] in [[plantation]]s, making them a significant [[Pest (organism)|crop pest]].<ref name=EoM>{{cite book |last=Bishop |first=Ian |year=1984 |article=Cavy-like rodents |editor-last=Macdonald |editor-first=D. |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |publisher=Facts on File |location= New York, NY |isbn=0-87196-871-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/703 703] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/703 |url-access=registration |via=Archive.org}}</ref>

Females give birth to litters of 2–4&nbsp;young at least once a year, and more frequently in some areas.<ref name=EoM/> Cane rats are sexually mature and able to reproduce at 6&nbsp;months of age.

==Relationship with humans==
Cane rats are widely distributed and farmers expend substantial energy fencing the rodents out of their fields, but they are also valued as a source of "[[bushmeat]]" in [[Western Africa]] and [[Central Africa]]. Like the [[guinea pig]], their meat is of a higher protein but lower fat content than conventional [[livestock]]; it is also appreciated for its tenderness and taste.

In the [[savanna]] area of [[West Africa]], people have traditionally captured wild cane rats and fattened them in captivity. More recently, intensive production of cane rats has been undertaken in countries such as [[Benin]] and [[Togo]] and agricultural extension services in [[Cameroon]],<ref name="bbc"/> [[Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Gabon]], [[Ghana]], [[Nigeria]], [[Senegal]], and the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] have also encouraged farmers to rear these rodents in rural and peri-urban areas. Research carried out over the last two decades has allowed the selection and improvement of stock for captivity and much of the knowledge and techniques for cane rat breeding has been determined from work carried out at the Benin-Germany breeding station, which was established in the mid-1980s. Practical information is now more readily available for farmers interested in cane rat breeding, but training is still advised.

Cane rats are not the most prolific of rodent species, but the high demand, attractive market price, and the small amount of investment required makes cane rats a suitable mini-[[livestock]] activity for income generation in many parts of West and Central Africa.

==Conservation status==
There are areas where they have been over-hunted, and savanna habitat is often at risk during the dry season from [[bushfire]]s, which are lit during [[bushmeat]] hunting expeditions. However, the high exploitation of cane rats in the wild has not had a serious effect on their numbers, and in fact some researchers{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} believe that their populations may actually be increasing due to deforestation and changing land use patterns in West Africa as they have adapted to deforested areas and occur in close proximity to farmlands and people.

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

* {{cite magazine |last=Mathews |first=Jaman |date=January–February 2008 |title=The value of grasscutters |magazine=World Ark |pages=23–24}}

==External links==
* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4864714.stm |website=BBC News |title="grasscutter" rearing in Ghana |publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]]}}

{{Rodents}}
{{Hystricomorpha|H.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q852804}}

[[Category:Thryonomys| ]]
[[Category:Rodents by common name]]
[[Category:Thryonomyidae]]
[[Category:Extant Eocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger]]