Malabar spiny dormouse Temporal range: Late Miocene to Recent
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Platacanthomyidae |
Genus: | Platacanthomys Blyth, 1859 |
Species: | P. lasiurus
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Binomial name | |
Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth, 1859
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The Malabar spiny dormouse (Platacanthomys lasiurus) is a species of muroid rodent endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is the only extant species in the genus Platacanthomys and although resembling a dormouse, it is not closely related. About the size of a brown rat, this arboreal species lives in tree holes in dense forest habitats in a small family group. They are distinguishable from other species in the area by their bushy tuft tip to the tail and the spiny fur on the back.