moonrat
{{short description|Species of mammal in the Erinaceidae family}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Moonrat{{MSW3 Erinaceomorpha | id = 13600055 | page = 218}}
| image = Haarigel (Echinosorex gymnura).jpg
| image2 = Echinosorex gymnura Harvard.jpg
| image2_caption = Museum specimens of the two moonrat subspecies:
E. g. gymnura (above)
E. g. alba (below)
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| display_parents = 2
| genus = Echinosorex
| parent_authority = Blainville, 1838
| species = gymnura
| authority = (Raffles, 1822)
| synonyms =
| range_map = Greater Moonrat area.png
| range_map_caption = Moonrat range
}}
The moonrat (Echinosorex gymnura) is a southeast Asian species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae (the hedgehogs and gymnures). It is the only species in the genus Echinosorex. The moonrat is a fairly small, primarily carnivorous animal which, despite its name, is not closely related to rats or other rodents. The scientific name is sometimes given as Echinosorex gymnurus, but this is incorrect.
Description
The moonrat has a distinct pungent odor with strong ammonia content, different from the musky smell of carnivorans.{{Britannica|391430}} There are two subspecies: E. g. gymnura is found in Sumatra and the Thai-Malay Peninsula; E. g. alba is found in Borneo. In the former the head and frontal half of the body are white or grey-white; the remaining is mainly black. The latter subspecies is generally white (alba means white in Latin), with a sparse scattering of black hairs; it appears totally white from a distance. Those from western Borneo tend to have a greater proportion of black hairs than those from the east, but animals from Brunei appear intermediate. Largely white E. g. gymnura also occur, but they are rare.
Head and body length is {{convert|32|-|40|cm|in|abbr=on}}, tail length is {{convert|20|-|29|cm|in|abbr=on}},{{Cite book|title = A Naturalist's Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia|last1 = Shepherd|first1 = Chris R.|publisher = John Beaufoy Publishing|year = 2012|isbn = 978-1-906780-71-5|location = Wiltshire, UK|pages = 14|last2 = Shepherd|first2 = Loretta Ann}} hind foot length is {{convert|6.5|-|7.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weight is {{convert|870|-|1100|g|lb|abbr=on}}.{{cite book | last1 = Francis | first1 = C.M. | title = A field guide to the mammals of South-East Asia | publisher = New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. | year = 2008 | page = 176 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zWeS8A6nunIC&pg=176 | access-date = 2011-04-06 | isbn = 978-1-84537-735-9}} The dental formula is {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.4.3|lower=3.1.4.3|total=44}}.Payne, J. and Francis, C. M. 2005. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. Sabah society, Malaysia {{ISBN|9679994716}}. It is possibly the largest member of the order Erinaceomorpha, although the European hedgehog likely weighs a bit more at {{convert|1000|g|lb|abbr=on}} and up to {{convert|2000|g|lb|abbr=on}}.{{cite book| author = Wood, Gerald| title = The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats| year = 1983| isbn = 978-0-85112-235-9| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofan00wood}}
Ecology and habitat
Moonrats are nocturnal and terrestrial, lying up under logs, roots or in abandoned burrows during the day. They inhabit moist forests including mangrove and swamp forests and often enter water. In Borneo, they occur mainly in forests, but in peninsular Malaysia they are also found in gardens and plantations. They feed on earthworms and various small animals, mostly arthropods. The moonrat is a host of the acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis echinosorexi.{{Cite journal |doi = 10.2307/3282462|pmid = 3128654|jstor = 3282462|title = Two New Species of Moniliformis (Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae) from Malaysia|journal = The Journal of Parasitology|volume = 74|issue = 2|pages = 322–5|year = 1988|last1 = Deveaux|first1 = Timothy P.|last2 = Schmidt|first2 = Gerald D.|last3 = Krishnasamy|first3 = M.}}
Lifespan
The lifespan of the moonrat is up to five years.[http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/39.htm The Leading America Zoo Site on the Net]. americazoo.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-19. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102121327/http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/39.htm |date=January 2, 2009 }}
Conservation status
The moonrat is not considered a threatened species. The main threat to the moonrat is deforestation activities due to human development for agriculture, plantation, and commercial logging. Moreover, other demands from Penan in Borneo for food and traditional medicinal contribute to decreasing numbers of moonrats in Borneo.{{cite web |title=Gymnures and hedgehogs |url=http://www.thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Insectivora/Erinaceidae/ |access-date=2012-12-19 |website=The Website of Everything}} The species is also found in protected areas, including Matang National Park and Kuching Wetlands National Park. Its IUCN status is Least Concern.
Economic importance
The Penan in Borneo used to trade moonrat meat for other foods and goods among themselves and for money.{{dead link|date=April 2011}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wikispecies|Echinosorex gymnura}}
- [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Echinosorex_gymnura.html Echinosorex gymnura] - Animal Diversity Web
{{Erinaceidae|G.}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q754046|from2=Q10757917}}