Malabar spiny dormouse

Malabar spiny dormouse
Temporal range: Late Miocene to Recent
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Platacanthomyidae
Genus: Platacanthomys
Blyth, 1859
Species:
P. lasiurus
Binomial name
Platacanthomys lasiurus
Blyth, 1859

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.

  1. ^ Molur, S. & Nameer, P.O. (2008). "Platacanthomys lasiurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2009.