Gambian pouched rat

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Gambian pouched rat
A captive pet

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Nesomyidae
Genus: Cricetomys
Species:
C. gambianus
Binomial name
Cricetomys gambianus

The Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), also

Emin's pouched rat is present) from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[1]

The Gambian pouched rat is sometimes kept as a pet, but some have escaped from captivity and become an invasive species in Florida.[3] In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now ban the importation of this species because it is blamed for the 2003 outbreak of monkeypox.

Characteristics

Skull of a Gambian pouched rat

The Gambian pouched rat has very poor

palm fruits and palm kernels.[citation needed
]

Its cheek pouches allow it to gather up several kilograms of nuts per night for storage underground. It has been known to stuff its pouches so full of date palm nuts so as to be hardly able to squeeze through the entrance of its burrow.[citation needed] The burrow consists of a long passage with side alleys and several chambers, one for sleeping and the others for storage. The Gambian pouched rat reaches sexual maturity at 5–7 months of age. It has up to four litters every nine months, with up to six offspring in each litter. Males are territorial and tend to be aggressive when they encounter one another.

Detection of land mines by scent

A

HeroRATS. The rats are far cheaper to train than mine-detecting dogs; a rat requires US$7,300 for nine months of training, whereas a dog costs about $25,000 for training, but lives about twice as long.[6][7]

In 2020, a Hero Rat named Magawa (2013–2022)[8] received a People's Dispensary for Sick Animals Gold Medal, the animal equivalent of the George Cross, becoming the first rat to receive the award since the charity began honouring animals in 2003. Before retiring in 2021, Magawa detected 71 landmines and 38 items of unexploded ordnance, clearing over 2,421,880 sq ft (225,000 m2) of land in Cambodia, preventing many injuries and deaths, in his 5-year career.[9][10][11][12] Magawa died from natural causes at the age of 8 in 2022.[8]

Detection of tuberculosis by scent

The Gambian pouched rat is currently being used in experiments at

C. ansorgei.[5]

As an invasive species

A Gambian pouched rat killed in the Florida Keys

Gambian pouched rats have become an invasive species on Grassy Key in the Florida Keys,[15] after a private breeder allowed the animals to escape in the 1990s.[16][17] Starting in 2007, Florida wildlife officials have tried to eradicate it from Grassy Key, but it was still present as of 2014, and has been sighted nearby on Key Largo and in Marathon, Florida.[16]

This outsized African rodent is also believed to be responsible for the

monkeypox. Around 20 individuals were affected.[18]

References

  1. ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ "Keeping and caring for Gambian pouched rats as pets". The Spruce Pets. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  4. S2CID 25811366
    .
  5. ^ a b "RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE (ROUS)". APOPO. 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  6. PMID 22532730
    .
  7. ^ "Giant rats trained to sniff out tuberculosis in Africa". National Geographic.
  8. ^ a b "Magawa, the landmine-sniffing hero rat, dies aged eight". BBC News. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  9. ^ "Magawa, a landmine-detecting rat, is retiring after five years of life-saving work in Cambodia". Sky News. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  10. ^ "Meet the gold medal-winning rodent". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  11. ^ Ng, Kate (25 September 2020). "Cambodia landmine detection rat awarded miniature gold medal for 'lifesaving bravery'". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "'Hero rat' Magawa retires from Cambodian bomb sniffing career". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera. June 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Pouched rats sniff for land mines and medical samples". Radio National The Science Show. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 May 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  14. ^ Cengel, Katya. "Giant Rats Trained to Sniff Out Tuberculosis in Africa". news.nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  15. ^ "More huge Gambian rats found on Grassy Key". keysnet.com. 25 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28.
  16. ^ a b Johnson, Terrell (June 3, 2014). "Invasive Giant Rats Make a Comeback in the Florida Keys | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  17. ^ "Florida tries to wipe out cat-sized African rats". Reuters. 2007.
  18. ^ Conlon, Michael (2008-10-06). "Kids want an exotic pet? Ask your doctor first". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-10-06.

Further reading

External links