Amazon bamboo rat
For Asian bamboo rats (family: Spalacidae), see Bamboo rat.
Amazon bamboo rat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Echimyidae |
Tribe: | Echimyini |
Genus: | Dactylomys |
Species: | D. dactylinus
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Binomial name | |
Dactylomys dactylinus (Desmarest, 1817)
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Subspecies | |
D. d. canescens (Thomas, 1912) |
The Amazon bamboo rat (Dactylomys dactylinus) is a species of spiny rat from the Amazon Basin of South America.[2][3] It is also referred to as coro-coro, Toró, Rato-do-Bambú, or Rata del Bambú in different parts of its range.[4] The bamboo rat prefers to reside in areas of dense vegetation, such as clumps of bamboo or in the canopy.[5] It is an arboreal browser, consuming primarily leaves and spending much of its time off the ground. Because the Amazon bamboo rat spends most of its time in heavily forested areas, it is difficult to observe, and not much is known about its habits.
Physical characteristics
The Amazon bamboo rat has a body length of over 60 centimetres (24 in) from the nose to the tip of the tail,
Behavior
Due to the restricted diet of
Diet
The Amazon bamboo rat is a small folivore. It consumes only plants that are easily digested, in order to conserve energy.[5] The bamboo rat primarily consumes young leaves, stems, and petioles.[5] Because of its limited diet of bamboo and local vines, it is more abundant in regions of Latin America where its preferred food sources are plentiful.
Social
The Amazon bamboo rat is nocturnal, emitting its shrill cry throughout the night to communicate its presence to other bamboo rats. The bamboo rat's call consists of several explosive, low frequency pulses, as well as grunts of low amplitude,[5] which may indicate alarm or serve to communicate with other rats.[9] The Amazon bamboo rat has been observed to travel in pairs, commonly consisting of one male and one female.[5] Because the bamboo rat has not been studied in great detail, not much is known regarding its mating habits.
Distribution
The Amazon bamboo rat lives in dense
References
- ^ . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Pearson, David L., and Les Beletsky. Travellers' Wildlife Guides: Peru. Northampton: Interlink. (2008)
- ^ InfoNatura: Animals and Ecosystems of Latin America. (2007) Version 5.0. Arlington, Virginia (USA): NatureServe. [1]. 3 May 2011. Archived 2 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ JSTOR 1380493.
- ^ a b c d Bezerra, Alexandra, Nelson Da Silva, Jr., and Jader Marinho-Filho. The Amazon Bamboo Rat Dactylomys dactylinus in the Cerrado of Central Brazil. Biotaneo Tropica. Biota Neotropica. (29 March 2007). 10 April 2011.
- OCLC 461974285.
- ^ Bailly, Anatole. "Greek-french dictionary online". tabularium.be. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ LaVal, Richard K. (1976) Voice and Habitat of Dactylomys dactylinus (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in Ecuador. Journal of Mammalogy 57:2, 402-404.