- Gambian Pouch Rat
Taxobox
name = Gambian Pouched Rat
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
trend = stable
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
ordo =Rodent ia
superfamilia =Muroidea
familia =Nesomyidae
subfamilia =Cricetomyinae
genus = "Cricetomys "
species = "C. gambianus"
binomial = "Cricetomys gambianus"
binomial_authority = Waterhouse,1840 The Gambian pouch rat ("Cricetomys gambianus"), also known as the African giant pouch rat is anocturnal rat of thegiant pouched rat genus "Cricetomys". It is the largest muroid in the world. Native toAfrica , it is aninvasive species inGrassy Key in theFlorida Keys . [ [http://www.rmca.org/Articles/giant.htm Rat & Moze Gazette: African Giant Pouched Rats as Pets] , July/Aug 1997]Characteristics
The Gambian Pouch Rat can grow to be as big as a
raccoon and can weigh up to 4 kg. It has very pooreyesight and so depends on its senses of smell and hearing. Its name comes from the large,hamster -like pouches in its cheeks. It is not a truerat , but is part of a uniquely African branch ofmuroid rodent s.In its native Africa, this rat lives in colonies of up to twenty, usually in forests and thickets, but also commonly in
termite mounds. It is omnivorous, feeding onvegetable s,insect s,crab s,snail s, and other items, but apparently preferring palmfruit s and palm kernels.Unlike domestic rats, it has cheek pouches like a hamster. These cheek pouches allow it to gather up several kilograms of nuts per night for storage underground. It has been known to stuff its pouches so full of
date palm nuts so as to be hardly able to squeeze through the entrance of its burrow. The burrow consists of a long passage with side alleys and several chambers, one for sleeping and the others for storage.The Gambian Pouch Rat reaches
sexual maturity at 5-7 months of age. It has up to four litters every nine months with up to six offspring in each litter.Males are territorial and tend to be aggressive when they encounter one another, otherwise this rodent is extremely friendly and has become popular as an
exotic pet . It is intelligent, social and can be very gentle if handled from an early age.In Africa, it is routinely eaten as
bushmeat . It (and other mammals) are referred to by the pidgin name of "beef".Problems from importation to the New World
Currently these rats have become an
invasive species onGrassy Key in theFlorida Keys . Perry et al. (2006) confirmed that animals found on the island are, in fact, representative of a breeding population and are not isolated escapees. It is unknown how the rat was released to the wild, and there is fear that if the rats reachKey Largo they could invade theEverglades and cause great ecological damage. As fruit eaters, the rats also pose a huge agricultural threat to South Florida, prompting USDA leadership in the trapping effort. Peterson et al. (2006) determined through computer modeling that "C. gambianus" (and, to a lesser degree "C. emini") has strong potential to be a successful invasive across much of the mainland USA, particularly the southeast. Biologists say it would compete for food with native species, carrydisease s, and damage the bird population by eating their eggs.This outsized African rodent is also believed to be responsible for the current outbreak of
monkeypox in theUnited States . In 2003, the United States' CDC and the FDA issued an order preventing the importation of the rodents following the first reported outbreak of monkeypox. Around 20 individuals were affected. [cite news |first=Michael
last=Conlon
authorlink=
coauthors=
title=Kids want an exotic pet? Ask your doctor first
url=http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE49576S20081006
publisher=Reuters
date=2008-10-06
accessdate=2008-10-06
quote=] Several African species are believed to carry the disease.Pouch rats as mine-sniffers
A
Belgian company has begun training Giant Pouch Rats to sniff outland mine s. Due to their excellent sense of smell and tractable personality the Giant Pouch Rat has excelled in this application. They areclicker trained from an early age to associate the smell of explosives with a food reward, usually banana or a peanut. In the field, the rat wears a harness connected to a rope suspended between two handlers. Multiple rats sweep up and down an area about the size of aracquetball court one at a time and areas that the rats signal to (usually by stopping and scratching) are noted on a grid of the area. When an area has been thoroughly swept by the rats a team with metal detectors goes in and detonates all mines in the area.Using Giant Pouch Rats in place of
dog s has several advantages. The rats are indigenous to Africa where they are used and thus are well suited to the climate and are resistant to many endemic diseases. They are also widely available and inexpensive to procure. Training time is much shorter for rats than dogs and fewer resources are needed to raise a rat to adulthood, and Giant Pouch Rats have a relatively long life span.In the field the rat's relatively small size means that it rarely detonates mines by walking over them. Both rat and rat handler teams are therefore safer than
dog s and dog handler teams. Furthermore, large areas can be swept by multiple rats for multiple bombs before a detonation team goes in to explode the detected bombs. This cuts down on the time needed to search a particular area, since with dogs each land mine must be detonated as it is detected, to avoid the greater danger of search dogs detonating land mines. The rat's small size also means that many rats can be easily transported to and from field sites.As with the use of dogs, land mines that have been manufactured to be completely sealed cannot be detected. These mines must be detected with metal detectors, since both dogs and rats use their sense of smell to detect trace amounts of explosive that leak from land mines. [cite news | first=Megan | last=Lindow | coauthors= | title=The Landmine-Sniffing Rats of Mozambique | date=2008-06-02 | publisher= | url =http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1811203,00.html | work =
Time Magazine | pages = | accessdate = 2008-06-23 | language = ]References
* Novak, R.M. and Paradiso, J.L.; "Walkers Mammals of the World, Vol II". Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1991.
*Perry, N. D., et al. 2006. New invasive species in southern Florida: Gambian rat ("Cricetomys gambianus"). Journal of Mammalogy, 87:262-264.
*Peterson, A. T., et al. 2006. Native range ecology and invasive potential of "Cricetomys" in North America. Journal of Mammalogy, 87:427-432.
* Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
* [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0210_040210_minerats.html] - a story from National Geographic News regarding the use of Giant Pouch Rats and bees to detect land mines in AfricaExternal links
* [http://www.herorat.org/ Hero Rat]
* [http://www.altpet.net/rodents/cricetomys/ African and Gambian Giant Pouched Rats - Facts and Care]
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