![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Tokudaia_muenninki_distribution.png/640px-Tokudaia_muenninki_distribution.png&w=640&q=50)
Muennink's spiny rat
Species of rodent / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muennink's spiny rat or Okinawa spiny rat (Tokudaia muenninki, Japanese: オキナワトゲネズミ, romanized: Okinawa togenezumi or 沖縄棘鼠) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.[2] Endemic to Okinawa Island, Japan, its natural habitat is subtropical moist broadleaf forest. The karyotype has 2n = 44.[2] Its sex chromosomes are abnormally large, while the other two species in Tokudaia have lost their Y chromosome.[3] It is found only on the northern part (Yanbaru area) of the island, above 300 m,[1] and is thought to inhabit an area of less than 3 km2.[4]
Muennink's spiny rat | |
---|---|
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Tokudaia |
Species: | T. muenninki |
Binomial name | |
Tokudaia muenninki (Johnson, 1946) | |
![]() |
The head and body are up to 7 inches long with a 5-inch tail. They weigh up to 7 ounces. They have a short thick body and dense fur, consisting of fine hairs and coarse, grooved spines (hence the common name “spiny rat”). The fur is brownish above and grayish white below with a faint orange tinge. The spines on the animal's back are black throughout while the spines underneath are usually white with a reddish-brown tip. The spines cover the body except for the regions around the mouth, ears, feet and tail. The tail is bi-colored for its entire length.[5]
The species is threatened by deforestation, predation by feral cats and introduced mongooses, and competition with introduced black rats.[1] In March 2008, the first wild specimen in over 30 years was caught in the northern part of Okinawa.[6]