The Flores giant rat (Papagomys armandvillei) is a rodent of the family Muridae that occurs on the island of Flores in Indonesia.[2] It has been recorded in Rutong Protection Forest. The species is found in primary, secondary and disturbed forest over a wide range of elevations.[1] Its head and body length is 41–45 cm (16–17.5 in) and its tail length is 33–70 cm (13–27.5 in). These dimensions are about twice as large as those of a typical brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), which suggests about eight times the body mass.
| Flores giant rat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stuffed specimen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Papagomys |
| Species: | P. armandvillei |
| Binomial name | |
| Papagomys armandvillei (Jentink, 1892) | |
The body mass has been estimated at 1.2–2.5 kilograms (2.6–5.5 lb), 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.[1]
See also
References
