Giant White-tailed Rat

Taxobox
name = Giant White-tailed Rat
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
familia = Muridae
subfamilia = Murinae
genus = "Uromys"
species = "U. caudimaculatus"
binomial = "Uromys caudimaculatus"
binomial_authority = (Krefft, 1867)

The Giant White-tailed Rat ("Uromys caudimaculatus") is an Australian rodent native to tropical rainforest of north Queensland [Harrison, J. L. (1962) Mammals of Innisfail I. Species and distribution. "Australian Journal of Zoology", 10, 45-83.] , with subspecies occurring in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. [Laurence, W. F. and Grant, J. D. (1994) Photographic identification of ground-nest predators in Australian tropical rainforest. "Wildlife Research", 21, 241-248] It is one of the largest rodents in Australia, reaching up to 1 kg in weight [Moore, L. A. (1995) Giant white-tailed rate, "Uromys caudimaculatus". In: "Mammals of Australia". (Ed, Strahan, R.) pp. 638-640. Reed Books, Chatswood, NSW.] , 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).

References