Guadalcanal rat

Uromys porculus (English common name: Guadalcanal Council ) is probably extinct rodent of the genus mosaic -tailed giant rat ( Uromys ). She was endemic to those forming part of the island of Guadalcanal Solomon Islands, and is known only from a single male, which was probably collected 1886-1888.

Features

The holotype has a head-body length of 220 mm, a tail length of 130 mm, a Hinterfußlänge of 43 mm and an ear length of 43 mm. The back fur is reddish, the peritoneum grayish. The short tail has no visible hair.

Status

Between the years 1886 and 1888, the British naturalist Charles Morris Woodford collected at Aola on Guadalcanal as the type locality. 1989 watch Tim Flannery, a rodent, to the might apply the description of Uromys porculus. However, a reliable detection could not provide Flannery. From locals Tim Flannery heard stories about a large ground-dwelling rat named Kopa, who lived in caves and was observed until the 1960s. Presumably, the stories about the Kopa refer porculus on Uromys. The exact causes of the decline and probable extinction are unknown. Deforestation, over-hunting, transmission of diseases that were introduced by invasive species and predation by feral cats have probably played a crucial role in the disappearance of the species.