Genus of rodents resembling guinea pigs
The genus
Thryonomys
, also known as the
cane rats
or
grasscutters
, is a genus of
rodent
found throughout
Africa
south of the
Sahara
, the only members of the
family
Thryonomyidae
.
[1]
They are eaten in some African countries and are a pest species on many crops.
[2]
The family name comes from the Greek word
thryon
, meaning a "rush" or "reed" and
mys
meaning "mouse".
Characteristics
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]
Cane rats range in body length from 35?60 centimetres. They attain weights of around 3-6kg and in some cases up to 10kg. They are heavily built rodents, with bristly brown fur speckled with yellow or grey. They live in
marshy
areas and along river and lake banks, and are
herbivores
, feeding on aquatic grasses in the wild. In agricultural areas they will ? as the name suggests ? feed on
sugarcane
in
plantations
, making them a significant
crop pest
.
[3]
Females give birth to litters of 2?4 young at least once a year, and more frequently in some areas.
[3]
Cane rats are sexually mature and able to reproduce at 6 months of age.
Relationship with humans
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Cane rats are widely distributed and farmers expend substantial energy fencing the rodents out of their fields, but they are also valued as a source of "
bushmeat
" in West and Central
Africa
. Like the
guinea pig
, their meat is of a higher protein but lower fat content than conventional
livestock
; it is also appreciated for its tenderness and taste.
In the
savanna
area of
West Africa
, people have traditionally captured wild cane rats and fattened them in captivity. More recently, intensive production of cane rats has been undertaken in countries such as
Benin
and
Togo
and agricultural extension services in
Cameroon
,
[2]
Cote d'Ivoire
,
Gabon
,
Ghana
,
Nigeria
,
Senegal
, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo
have also encouraged farmers to rear these rodents in rural and peri-urban areas. Research carried out over the last two decades has allowed the selection and improvement of stock for captivity and much of the knowledge and techniques for cane rat breeding has been determined from work carried out at the Benin-Germany breeding station, which was established in the mid-1980s. Practical information is now more readily available for farmers interested in cane rat breeding, but training is still advised.
Cane rats are not the most prolific of rodent species, but the high demand, attractive market price, and the small amount of investment required makes cane rats a suitable mini-
livestock
activity for income generation in many parts of West and Central Africa.
Conservation status
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There are areas where they have been over-hunted, and savanna habitat is often at risk during the dry season from
bushfires
, which are lit during
bushmeat
hunting expeditions. However, the high exploitation of cane rats in the wild has not had a serious effect on their numbers, and in fact some researchers
[
citation needed
]
believe that their populations may actually be increasing due to deforestation and changing land use patterns in West Africa as they have adapted to deforested areas and occur in close proximity to farmlands and people.
References
[
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]
- Mathews, Jaman (January?February 2008). "The value of grasscutters".
World Ark
. pp. 23?24.
External links
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]