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Giant naked-tailed rat - UROMYS CAUDIMACULATUS
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Rat": "Rat" comes from the Old English word
"raet," for the animal.
Location: New Guinea and northern Australia.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Forests, clearings, coconut plantations, and even rocky areas.
Description: The not very dense coat is gray-brown on the back and gray-white on the underside. The tail has flattened, non-overlapping scales, and the distal half is white. The incisor teeth are strong and large, the ears are of average size, and the feet are large and have powerful claws. Length of head and body is 12 to 14 inches, and the tail is about the same length again. It can weigh up to two pounds.
Behavior: This rat is arboreal and builds its nest in hollows in trees. It is a nimble and an excellent climber, and is helped in this activity by its long scaly tail, which can be wrapped around branches to provide a firm hold. It feeds mainly on coconuts, which have fallen from palm trees. It is familiar as a camp robber and is omnivorous. It eats eggs and some insects, but is mainly vegetarian.
Reproduction: The female has 4 nipples. Litter size is one to three, and the offspring weigh about .05 ounce at birth. They begin to eat solid foods at about one month of age, but are not of adult size until about eight months. Gestation lasts 41 days.
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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