Solomys

The naked-tailed rat ( Solomys ) are a rodent species from the group of Altweltmäuse ( Murinae ). The genus includes five species, one of which is extinct.

Naked-tailed rats are relatively large rat-like animals. The body length is 19 to 33 centimeters, the tail length 20-36 cm and weight - if known - 0.3 to over 1 kilogram. Their fur is brown or gray, the underside is lighter. The tail is hairless, the feet are equipped with powerful claws.

Naked-tailed rats are endemic to the Solomon Islands, their habitat is forests. You can climb well and usually stay on the trees. They build nests on forked branches or leaves in tree hollows. Their diet consists among other things of nuts that they aufnagen with their strong teeth.

There are five types:

• Solomys ponceleti lives on Bougainville and is the largest species, reaching a weight of one kilogram.
• Solomys salamonis is located on the island of Florida, it is the smallest of Art
• Solomys salebrosus occurs on Bougainville and Choiseul Islands.
• Solomys sapientis lives on Santa Isabel and came earlier also on Malaita.
• Solomys spriggsarum extinct 6600-2000 years ago. It lived on Buka.

All species still living are threatened in their existence. The reasons for this lie in the destruction of their habitat and hunting for their meat. The IUCN lists S. ponceleti as " threatened with extinction " ( critically endangered ), pp. salebrosus and S. sapientis as " critically endangered " ( endangered ) and S. salamonis under "too little data available ".

Systematically, the genus within the Altweltmäuse is classified in the Uromys group.