Vangunu giant rat
| Vangunu giant rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Uromys |
| Species: | U. vika
|
| Binomial name | |
| Uromys vika Lavery & Judge, 2017
| |
The Vangunu giant rat (Uromys vika), locally known as the vika, is a giant arboreal species of rodent in the family Muridae.[2][3] The rat was discovered in the island of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands in 2015,[4] after years of searching based on local stories, and described in 2017.[5] It was identified as a new species on the basis of its skull, skeleton and a detailed DNA analysis.[2] The single individual initially collected from a felled tree (Dillenia salomonensis) measured 46 cm long, weighed between 0.5 and 1.0 kg and had orange-brown fur.[2] Its diet is believed to include thick-shelled nuts like ngali nuts and coconuts,[4] and probably fruits.[2] The species is likely to be designated critically endangered, due to the small amount of forest habitat (about 80 km2 (31 sq mi)) remaining on the island and ongoing logging.[2][3]
References
- ^ "Uromys vika". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2019. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
- ^ a b c d e Young, E. (27 September 2017). "Giant, tree-dwelling rat discovered in Solomon Islands". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22684.
- ^ a b "Tree-dwelling, coconut-cracking giant rat discovered in Solomon Islands" (Press release). Field Museum. EurekaAlert!. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- ^ a b Choi, C. (26 September 2017), "Discovered: A Giant, Tree-Dwelling Rat that Munches Coconuts", Discover magazine, retrieved 2017-09-27
- ^ Lavery, Tyrone H; Judge, Hikuna (2017), "A new species of giant rat (Muridae, Uromys) from Vangunu, Solomon Islands", Journal of Mammalogy, 98 (6): 1518–1530, doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyx116
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