Large bamboo rat
{{Short description|Species of rodent}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Large bamboo rat
| image = Rhizomys sumatrensis cinereus - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02846.JPG
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Rhizomys
| species = sumatrensis
| authority = (Raffles, 1821)
| range_map = Rhizomys sumatrensis distribution.png
| synonyms =
}}
File:Rhizomys_erythrogenys_Keulemans.jpg
The large bamboo rat, Sumatran rat, or Indomalayan rat (Rhizomys sumatrensis) is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in Southeast Asia.
Range
Description
Individuals can reach lengths of {{cvt|30|cm|in}} to {{Cvt|45|cm|in}} with a {{Cvt|20|cm|in}} tail, and weigh from {{Convert|1|to|3|kg}}.
|last1 = Alpin
|first1 = K.P.
|last2 = Brown
|first2 = P.R.
|date = 2003
|title = Field methods for rodent studies in Asia and the Indo-Pacific
|access-date = 28 February 2025
|url = https://www.aciar.gov.au/sites/default/files/legacy/node/528/mn100field_methods_for_rodent_studies_in_asia_and__19800.pdf
|publisher = ACIAR Monograph
}}
All Rhizomys species share a common body form, with a massively broadened head, a plump body with short limbs, strong claws on both the pes and manus, small eyes and ears, and a short, sparsely haired tail that lacks scales (it is instead covered in soft, wrinkled skin).
Rhizomys species have grey–brown to dull orange brown fur, rounded ears that just project through the fur, and granulated plantar pads on the manus and pes (compared to smooth pads in Cannomys badius).
Rhizomys sumatrensis (Raffles, 1821) grows to a much greater size than the other species, the tail is relatively longer, and the top of the head bears a distinctive, triangular patch of dark fur.
Litter size is reported as 3-5 in R. sumatrensis, which has a gestation period of at least 22 days.
The young grow hair at about 10–13 days, open their eyes at 24 days, and are weaned over an extended period from 1–3 months after birth. Life span in captivity is about 4 years.
Diet
Ecological Impact
Disease Ecology
The species is a natural host for the disease-causing mold, Penicillium marneffei.{{cite web|url=http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/2/10-0718_article |title=Common Reservoirs for Penicillium marneffei Infection in Humans and Rodents, China}}{{cite journal | pmid = 8532047 | volume=131 | issue=1 | title=Occurrence of Penicillium marneffei infections among wild bamboo rats in Thailand | journal=Mycopathologia | pages=1–8 | last1 = Ajello | first1 = L | last2 = Padhye | first2 = AA | last3 = Sukroongreung | first3 = S | last4 = Nilakul | first4 = CH | last5 = Tantimavanic | first5 = S | doi=10.1007/bf01103897| year=1995 | s2cid=20573325 }}
In Popular Culture
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.{{cite web|url=http://headllamas.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/the-sumatran-devil.html |title=The Sumatran Devil}}{{better reference|date=September 2020}}
References
{{Wikispecies|Rhizomys sumatrensis}}
{{Commons category|Rhizomys sumatrensis}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Spalacidae nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2299022}}
Category:Mammals described in 1821
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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