This may be one of the last giant rats of Vangunu

One of Earth’s largest rats is also among its most endangered . Researchers have discovered that four individuals of the Vangunu giant rat ( Uromys vika ) survive in the wild, but even they may soon disappear. The rodent lives in the tropical forests of its namesake island of Vangunu, part of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Although it’s twice the size of the common black rat, researchers had never been able to study it. The giant rat makes its nests within ferns that grow on lowland trees. According to local knowledge, it can gnaw into green coconuts, but nothing more about its diet is known. The first specimen known to science was collected from a logging operation in 2015, where it had crawled out of felled tree and then died. It was the first new rodent species discovered in the islands in more than 80 years. In a study published this month in Ecology and Evolution , researchers describe their search for other members of the species . They placed cameras 10 meters to 20 meters high up on trees within a nearby forest, known as the Zaira Conservation Resource Management Area, and filled lures with sesame oil to attract animals. The team spotted one male and two female giant rats—the species has a distinctive long tail and short ears—in images from one camera, including the one seen above. A camera 2 kilometers away recorded another female. Because of the distance between the cameras,...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research