Species of rodent
The
lesser cane rat
(
Thryonomys gregorianus
) is a species of
rodent
in the family
Thryonomyidae
.
[2]
It is found in
Cameroon
,
Chad
,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
,
Ethiopia
,
Kenya
,
Malawi
,
South Sudan
,
Tanzania
,
Uganda
,
Zambia
,
Zimbabwe
, and possibly
Mozambique
. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry
shrubland
, subtropical or tropical dry lowland
grassland
, and shrub-dominated
wetlands
.
Description
[
edit
]
The lesser cane rat grows to a length of about 38 centimetres (15 in), about one quarter of which is the tail. Males are usually larger than females. The average weight of the lesser cane rat is 1.4 to 2.4 kg (3.1 to 5.3 lb) in males and 1.8 to 1.9 kg (4.0 to 4.2 lb) in females and they are a little less than half the size of the
greater cane rat
.
[3]
However, some males are as large as 3.5 to 5 kg (7.7 to 11.0 lb) about the size of an average greater cane rat.
[4]
The hair is coarse and rather bristle-like and lies flat against the body. The ears are small and almost hidden in the fur. The feet are long with three functioning toes, bare palms and strong claws. The back and sides of the animal are yellowish- or greyish-brown and the underparts greyish-white. The tail has a few bristles and scales and is brown above and white below.
[5]
Its
karyotype
has
2n
= 40 and
FN
= 80.
[2]
Distribution and habitat
[
edit
]
The lesser cane rat is native to Central and East Africa and the more northerly parts of southern Africa. The main parts of its range are southern Sudan, the whole of Uganda, western Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe but it also occurs sporadically in some of the neighbouring countries. It is found in open grassy countryside, the fringes of marshland and in woodland and it has been recorded at an altitude of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) above sea level in the
Rwenzori Mountains
.
[1]
It occupies much the same range as the
greater cane rat
(
Thryonomys swinderianus
) but that species is more
aquatic
and frequents river banks and lakesides.
[5]
Behaviour
[
edit
]
The lesser cane rat is nocturnal and mainly moves around alone though it may live in a small family group. Though its eyesight is poor, it has a keen sense of hearing and individuals communicate with each other using grunts and whistles, and they may stamp their feet to warn others of danger. It is
herbivorous
and feeds on grasses, seeds, grain, fruit and other plant material. An important food item is often
elephant grass
(
Pennisetum purpureum
) but this rat is opportunistic and will also feed on crops such as
peanut
,
maize
,
sweet potato
,
cassava
and
pumpkin
.
[5]
The breeding season is in the rainy season and there may be two litters in the year. The
gestation
period is about three months and the litter size is typically two or three young. These are
precocial
and are able to move around shortly after birth. They hide in nests in the grass where the female visits them at intervals to allow them to suckle. They become sexually mature at about a year and probably live three years.
[5]
Status
[
edit
]
The lesser cane rat is assessed as being of "
Least Concern
" by the
IUCN
in its
Red List of Threatened Species
. Although the precise range of the lesser cane rat and its population trend are not known, it is a fairly common species and faces no specific threats. It is eaten as
bushmeat
in some parts of its range.
[1]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Cassola, F. (2017).
"
Thryonomys gregorianus
"
.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
.
2017
: e.T21846A22277877.
doi
:
10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T21846A22277877.en
. Retrieved
12 November
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005).
"Infraorder Hystricognathi"
. In
Wilson, D.E.
; Reeder, D.M (eds.).
Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference
(3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1545.
ISBN
978-0-8018-8221-0
.
OCLC
62265494
.
- ^
Van der Merwe, M. (2007).
Discriminating between Thryonomys swinderianus and Thryonomys gregorianus
. African Zoology, 42(2), 165-171.
- ^
Igbowe, C. O. (2010).
Gross and microscopic anatomy of thyroid gland of the wild African grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus, Temminck) in Southeast Nigeria
. Eur. J. Anat, 14(1), 5-10.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Kiss, Brian (2012).
"
Thryonomys gregorianus
: lesser cane rat"
.
Animal Diversity Web
. University of Michigan
. Retrieved
2013-08-30
.