Mallomys

Mallomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae.[1] The name of the genus is formed from the Greek μαλλός, mallos, wool, and μῦς, mus, mouse/rat. These very large rats weigh between 0.95 and 2 kilograms (2.1 and 4.4 lb) and are native to highlands in New Guinea.[2] Little is known about their behavior, but they are believed to feed on leaves, grasses and other plant material.[2]

Mallomys
Temporal range: Pleistocene to Recent
Mallomys gunung
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Tribe: Hydromyini
Genus: Mallomys
Thomas, 1898
Type species
Mallomys rothschildi
Species

Mallomys aroaensis
Mallomys gunung
Mallomys istapantap
Mallomys rothschildi

It contains the following species:

Conservation International (CI) and the Indonesia Institute of Science (LIPI) discovered two possibly undescribed mammals upon visit of the Foja Mountains in June 2007: a Cercartetus pygmy possum, one of the world's smallest marsupials, and a 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb) Mallomys giant rat (five times the size of a Brown Rat) - found in Indonesia's Papua in 2005.[4]

References
  1. Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Flannery, T. (1995). Mammals of New Guinea. Pp. 284-291. ISBN 0-7301-0411-7
  3. BBC News 2009-09-06: Giant rat found in 'lost volcano' http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8210000/8210394.stm
  4. Afp.google.com, Two new mammals found in Indonesian 'lost world': green group Archived 2007-06-09 at the Wayback Machine


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