Flores giant rat
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The Flores giant rat (Papagomys armandvillei) is a rodent of the family Muridae that occurs on the island of Flores in Indonesia.[1] It has been recorded in Rutong Protection Forest. The species is found in primary, secondary and disturbed forest over a wide range of elevations.[2] Its head and body length is Script error: No such module "convert". and its tail length is Script error: No such module "convert".. These dimensions are about twice as large as those of a typical brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), which suggests about eight times the body mass.
The body mass has been estimated at Script error: No such module "convert"., comparable to a rabbit.[3]
Papagomys armandvillei is the only extant species in the genus Papagomys, with another smaller species, Papagomys theodorverhoeveni, known from subfossil remains.[3] The specific epithet, armandvillei, honours the Dutch Jesuit missionary Cornelis J. F. le Cocq d'Armandville (1846–1896) who was stationed in the Dutch East Indies, and later in New Guinea.[4]
Guy Musser describes the Flores giant rat as having small, round ears, a chunky body, and a small tail, and as appearing to be adapted for life on the ground with refuge in burrows. It has dense dark hair (pelage). Analysis of the teeth suggests a diet of leaves, buds, fruit, and certain kinds of insects as inferred by large hypsodont teeth.[5]
The Flores giant rat has been suggested to have been a prey item of the extinct dwarf human species Homo floresiensis.[3]
Conservation
P. armandvillei is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. Threats include subsistence hunting and predation by dogs and cats.[2]
See also
References
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