Bunomys

The Sulawesi mountain rats ( Bunomys ) are a rodent species from the group of Altweltmäuse ( Murinae ). The genus includes six species.

Sulawesi mountain rats reach a body length 10-20 inches, added a 10 to 18 centimeters long tail. The weight is 60 to 150 grams. The coat is soft and dense, it is colored blue-gray to brownish and there is usually no contrast between the top and bottom.

These animals are endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. They inhabit tropical forests, sometimes Busch countries, partly in the mountains up to 2000 meters. Their diet consists of fruit, insects, snails and earthworms.

There are six known species:

• Bunomys andrewsi in Central and South Sulawesi
• Bunomys chrysocomus throughout Sulawesi,
• Bunomys coelestis that lives only in a small area in southwest Sulawesi,
• Bunomys fratrorum in the northeast of Sulawesi,
• Bunomys penitus in mountain regions in Central Sulawesi and
• Bunomys prolatus that inhabits a small area in Ostsulawesi.

Main threat for these animals is the destruction of their habitat. Except as andrewsi and B. chrysocomus all kinds of IUCN listed as endangered or threatened, most precarious is the situation for example coelestis and B. prolatus.