Giant white-tailed rat

Giant white-tailed rat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Uromys
Species:
U. caudimaculatus
Binomial name
Uromys caudimaculatus
(Krefft, 1867)

The giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus) is an Australian rodent native to tropical rainforest of north Queensland,[2] with subspecies occurring in New Guinea and the Aru Islands.[3] It is one of the largest rodents in Australia, reaching up to 1 kg in weight.[4] It is grey-brown above, cream to white below, and has a long, naked tail of which the distal section is white (Moore 1995).

Breeding commences in September or October, peaking in December and January at the height of the wet season. After a gestation of 36 days, a litter of two to three (rarely four) young are born, and remain with the mother for approximately three months (Moore 1995).

  1. ^ Aplin, K.; Helgen, K.; Winter, J. (2017). "Uromys caudimaculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22801A22446882. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T22801A22446882.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Harrison, J. L. (1962). "Mammals of Innisfail I. Species and distribution". Australian Journal of Zoology. 10: 45–83. doi:10.1071/ZO9620045.
  3. ^ Laurence, W. F.; Grant, J. D. (1994). "Photographic identification of ground-nest predators in Australian tropical rainforest". Wildlife Research. 21 (2): 241–248. doi:10.1071/WR9940241.
  4. ^ Moore, L. A. (1995) "Giant white-tailed rat", Uromys caudimaculatus. In: Mammals of Australia. (Ed, Strahan, R.) pp. 638–640. Reed Books, Chatswood, NSW.