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Rufous-nosed rat - OENOMYS HYPOXANTHUS
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Rat": "Rat" comes from the Old English word
"raet," for the animal. "Rufous" is an outdated word for "reddish."
Location: Central Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Virgin forest, dense vegetation, and cultivated fields.
Description: The body is gray-brown with reddish and blackish areas above and white below. There are two noticeable areas of reddish fur on the sides of the snout. The coat is quite long, especially on the hind half of the animal. The legs may be white, reddish, or brown. Length of head and body up to seven inches, tail to eight inches, weight to 4 ounces.
Behavior: This solitary rat is active both day and night. It can cause damage in paddy fields and to cereal crops. It climbs around in vegetation above the ground as well as foraging on the ground. It builds a rounded nest between branches or in clumps of grass, usually with only one entrance.
Reproduction: The average litter has two or three young, and rarely four; and several litters may be produced by a female in the humid parts of the year. Sexual maturity is not reached until four months of age.
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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