Margaretamys

The Margareta rats ( Margaretamys ) are a rodent species from the group of Altweltmäuse ( Murinae ). The genus includes three species.

Margareta rats reach a body length 10-20 cm and a tail length of 15-29 centimeters. The coat is white colored gray at the top of brown or gray-brown, and at the bottom.

These rodents live on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Their habitat are forests from sea level to 2300 meters above sea level. They are tree dwellers, otherwise little is known about their way of life.

System

The Margareta rats are classified within the Altweltmäuse in the Pithecheir group.

There are three types:

• Margaretamys beccarii in the Northeastern and Middle Sulawesi,
• Margaretamys elegans in mountainous countries in Central Sulawesi and
• Margaretamys parvus, also in mountainous countries in Central Sulawesi.

The habitat destruction poses for the Margareta rats, the main threat represents the IUCN lists M. beccarii as " endangered" ( vulnerable ) and M. elegans as "low risk" ( near threatened ), for M. parvus there is too little data.