cane rat

cane rat

rodent
      either of two species of large, stocky African rodent. Weighing up to 7 kg (more than 15 pounds), cane rats can grow to a length of 61 cm (24 inches), not including the scantily haired tail, which measures up to 26 cm. Cane rats have blunt muzzles and small ears, and their speckled brown fur is coarse and bristly.

      The greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) and the lesser cane rat (T. gregorianus) both inhabit nonforested sub-Saharan Africa except for Namibia and most of South Africa and Botswana. The two species are found together in certain regions, but they occupy different habitats. The greater cane rat lives along rivers and lakes and in swamps, reedbeds, and tall, dense grass with thick canelike stems, whereas the lesser cane rat prefers grassy ground in moist savannas and tall grass on rocky hillsides.

      Cane rats are swift and agile on land and swim very well. Though primarily nocturnal, they are occasionally active during the day. Depending on the season, greater cane rats are solitary or communal. Lesser cane rats live in small family groups, usually denning in thick vegetation, although termite mounds and the abandoned burrows of aardvarks or porcupines are also used. Litters of one to eight well-developed young are born once or twice per year. Their diet consists of grass, other plants, and sometimes bark and fruits. Cane rats also eat crops and can become serious pests in regions where corn (maize), sugarcane, pineapples, cassava, and eggplant are cultivated. On the other hand, these large rodents provide a significant source of protein for Africans and are intensively hunted throughout their range.

      Cane rats are the only living members of the family Thryonomyidae, and they have no close surviving relatives. The evolutionary history of Thryonomys dates back 2 million to 4 million years in Africa. However, fossils of extinct genera in the family Thryonomyidae have been found in Africa, the Mediterranean region, and Asia, and some of these remains date to the Late Eocene Epoch (37 million to 33.7 million years ago).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cane rat — Cane rats Temporal range: Eocene–Recent …   Wikipedia

  • cane rat — noun Etymology: so called from its feeding on sugarcane 1. : a large ratlike African rodent (Thryonomys swinderianus or related species) that is related to the porcupine called also ground pig 2. : hutia * * * cane rat noun A tropical African rat …   Useful english dictionary

  • cane rat — /ˈkeɪn ræt/ (say kayn rat) noun a large nocturnal rodent, Thryonomys swinderenianus, of Africa, resembling a rat …  

  • cane rat — noun a large rat like African rodent found in wetlands south of the Sahara. [Genus Thryonomys.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • Greater Cane Rat — Taxobox name = Greater Cane Rat status = LC status system = iucn3.1 trend = unknown regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia subordo = Hystricomorpha familia = Thryonomyidae genus = Thryonomys species = T.… …   Wikipedia

  • Short-tailed Cane Rat — Taxobox | name = Short tailed Cane Rat status = LR/lc | status system = IUCN2.3 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia familia = Cricetidae genus = Zygodontomys species = Z. brevicauda binomial = Zygodontomys… …   Wikipedia

  • Lesser Cane Rat — Taxobox name = Lesser Cane Rat status = LC status system = iucn3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia familia = Thryonomyidae genus = Thryonomys species = T. gregorianus binomial = Thryonomys gregorianus… …   Wikipedia

  • lesser cane rat — mažoji nendryninė žiurkė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Thryonomys gregorianus angl. lesser cane rat vok. kleine Rohrratte rus. малая тростниковая крыса ryšiai: platesnis terminas – nendryninės… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • great cane rat — didžioji nendryninė žiurkė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Thryonomys swinderianus angl. great cane rat vok. große Rohrratte rus. большая тростниковая крыса ryšiai: platesnis terminas – nendryninės… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Rat — Taxobox name = Rats fossil range = Early Pleistocene – Recent image width = 200px image caption = The common Brown Rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia superfamilia = Muroidea familia =… …   Wikipedia

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