Tag: Rats

Illustration der Schwaneninseln-Ferkelratte (Geocapromys thoracatus)
The extinct Little Swan Island hutia resembled a guinea pig in appearance and reached a body length of 30 to 40 centimeters. The weight of adult animals is estimated at about one kilogram.

Little Swan Island hutia

Survival under extreme conditions As early as 1942, the American zoologist Glover Morrill Allen warned in Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Western Hemisphere about the threats that could endanger the survival of the Little Swan Island hutia, which occurred only on Little Swan Island: “At present the species seems

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Maclear-Ratte (Rattus macleari)
The nocturnal Maclear's rat was fairly large, with a body length of 21 to 26 centimeters and a tail length of up to 26.5 centimeters. The species was characterized by its black upright back hairs. (© Joseph Smit, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Maclear’s rat

On the vulnerability of rats The extinction of countless birds, mammals, and reptiles in modern times can be traced back to rats that arrived on European ships and expanded their range. In fact, however, there are also many species from the family of true mice and rats (Muridae) that have

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Bramble Cay Mosaikschwanzratte (Melomys rubicola)
The Bramble Cay melomys reached a body length of 14 to 16 centimeters; its scaly, thin tail added another 14.5 to 18 centimeters. (© State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Bramble Cay melomys

The first victim of human-caused climate change The Bramble Cay melomys or mosaic-tailed rat is considered the first mammal species to be declared extinct primarily or exclusively because of anthropogenic climate change. It lived on the Torres Strait island of Bramble Cay, one of the most narrowly limited habitats imaginable.

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Weihnachtsinsel-Ratte (Rattus nativitatis)
An image of the now extinct bulldog rat from the 1900 book A Monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). Its fur was dark brown and it had a layer of fat on its back. (© Biodiversity Heritage Library, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Bulldog rat

Introduced parasite wiped out native rats Christmas Island once also had endemic rats: the bullog rat and the Maclear’s rat. Both are now extinct—most probably for the same reason. Christmas Island, which lies in the Indian Ocean and belongs to Australia, was known for its rich phosphate deposits. Therefore, in

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