Sundamys_infraluteus

Mountain giant Sunda rat

Mountain giant Sunda rat

Species of rodent

The mountain giant Sunda rat, Sundamys infraluteus (also known as the giant mountain rat or giant rat of Sumatra) is a large rat, around 480 to 640 millimeters (19 to 25 inches) in total length (230 to 290 millimeters [9-11.5 inches] excluding the tail). It weighs 230 to 600 grams. This makes it somewhat larger than a Norway rat, which averages around 300 grams, with 500 grams being unusually large. The rat is mostly dark brown with paler brownish specks. Its long fur is covered with even longer guard hairs. The tail is uniformly brown.

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...

Habitat and habits

This species lives in forested mountains, between 700 and 2400 meters. It is found in southeastern Asia, especially Indonesia and Malaysia. The species is omnivorous.

Other information

Arthur Conan Doyle refers to a 'giant rat of Sumatra' in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire". Some scholars, including Leslie S. Klinger, have identified that rat as Sundamys infraluteus.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Aplin, K. (2016). "Sundamys infraluteus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T21150A22397618. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T21150A22397618.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. [2]
    Conan Doyle, Arthur (2005). Klinger, Leslie S. (ed.). The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. Vol. 2. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 1557. ISBN 0-393-05916-2.
Stub icon

This Murinae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Sundamys_infraluteus, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.