Biology:Large bamboo rat
| Large bamboo rat | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Spalacidae |
| Genus: | Rhizomys |
| Species: | R. sumatrensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhizomys sumatrensis (Raffles, 1821)
| |
| |
The large bamboo rat, Sumatran rat, or Indomalayan rat (Rhizomys sumatrensis) is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in Cambodia, China , Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is one of four species of bamboo rat. Individuals can reach lengths of nearly 50 cm (20 in) with a 20 cm (7.9 in) tail, and weigh up to 4 kilograms (8.8 lb).
Their typical diet includes bamboo roots, but they also feed on cultivated tapioca and sugarcane. They are, in turn, hunted as food by human beings.[1]
The species is a natural host for the disease-causing mold, Penicillium marneffei.[2][3]
It is one of several species of large rats that have been identified by scholars of Sherlockiana as the original model for the mysterious Giant Rat of Sumatra alluded to in a fictional story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.[4]Template:Better reference
References
- ↑ Aplin, K. "Rhizomys sumatrensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/details/19647/0. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ↑ Common Reservoirs for Penicillium marneffei Infection in Humans and Rodents, China
- ↑ Ajello, L; Padhye, AA; Sukroongreung, S; Nilakul, CH; Tantimavanic, S (1995). "Occurrence of Penicillium marneffei infections among wild bamboo rats in Thailand". Mycopathologia 131 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1007/bf01103897. PMID 8532047.
- ↑ The Sumatran Devil
Wikidata ☰ Q2299022 entry
 |  |
