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Striped grass rat - LEMNISCOMYS STRIATUS
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Rat": "Rat" comes from the Old English word
"raet," for the animal.
Location: Africa south of the Sahara.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Savanna and forest.
Description: The bristly coat of this rat is tawny olive, with paler stripes on the back. In this species some stripes are broken into spots. The ears are of average size, round, and reddish in color. The feet are five-toed, with the first and fifth smaller in size. The rat is about a foot long, half of which is its tail. It weighs about two and a half ounces.
Behavior: This gregarious rodent often forms large colonies. It is mainly diurnal and feeds on seeds, sweet potatoes, leaves, and other plant matter. The nest is made of grass and is built in a hole dug in the ground, or in an abandoned termite nest. Occasionally the next is built on the surface of the ground (concealed among vegetation). Various paths lead from the nest to places where food is available.
Reproduction: The female gives birth to four or five young, after a four-week gestation period. The female offspring are sexually mature at two months.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Rat Index to study other
rats.
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