Ukraine Part 5: Dormice and Field Mice

 

Hazel Dormouse

Until I started this series I had no idea how rich eastern Europe and especially Ukraine is in rodents. Aside from this last group Ukraine also holds Eurasian Beaver and Red Squirrel, both widespread species. As well as those Ukraine is home to four different species of dormouse in the Gliridae and nine different true mice in the Muridae. The two groups are not very closely related and have quite different life strategies, with dormice often being very long lived and with fairly low reproductive rates, while true mice are short lived and are famously prolific.

Dormice are forest rather than grassland rodents, and as a result in Ukraine their range is concentrated in the north and west of the country, often in mountainous areas. They avoid steppe and agricultural fields, though some species will use orchards and scrubland and even enter houses.

Hazel Dormouse range

With a range extending from Britain well into Russia, and from Sweden south to Greece and northern Anatolia, the Hazel Dormouse as a species is currently listed as Least Concern. In parts of its range however, particularly in Britain, destruction of its habitat of deciduous woodland especially Hazel scrub has seriously impacted local populations and it is seriously endangered in Britain despite conservation efforts. Part of the problem is that Hazel Dormice do best in dense scrub with a rich variety of different shrubs and trees (they never feed on the ground but remain in the canopy) which provide a continually changing supply of high energy food, and in the past the practise of coppicing provided this easily. Coppicing is a means of ensuring a continual supply of growths from the stump of a still living tree. On a 10-20 year cycle “poles” would be harvested from the “stools” of the coppiced trees, which were usually hazel or sometimes willow, and used for agricultural fencing or charcoal production. This resulted in continuously regenerating hazel scrub, ideal for dormice. Today this has been abandoned except for conservation management and the dormice have lost their habitat. Although they mostly stay within 5m of the ground, they are quite squirrel-like in many ways and do not hesitate to climb high into the canopy if there is food there.

Beginning in spring, on emerging from their famously lengthy hibernation dormice first visit shrubs and vines such as Hawthorn and Honeysuckle to gain energy from nectar and pollen. In summer they eat vast amounts of insects, including aphids, and in the autumn they turn to berries and nuts, including Yew berries. Especially in summer food can be scarce in bad weather, and they handle this by going into torpor as they do in the winter. This energy conserving strategy means reproduction is delayed, and in Britain at least they only raise one litter of around four young a year, with perhaps only one or two surviving to breed. To compensate they are long lived, with survival over five years far from unknown. By comparison most wood mice and voles live less than a year on average. Aside from habitat destruction climate change is a potential threat. Ironically, warm winters, especially with variable temperatures, are very damaging as they interrupt the animals’ hibernation strategy which relies on near-freezing constant temperatures. Wet weather in summer also interrupts the life cycle as dormice have trouble feeding in periods of prolonged rain.

Edible Dormouse

While the mouse-sized Hazel Dormouse is a British native, the squirrel-sized Edible Dormouse Glis glis was introduced to Britain in 1902 to an aristocrats’ estate in the Chiltern hills in southern England. The species gets its English name from the ancient Roman fondness for eating them as a delicacy. Apparently in Croatia and Slovenia this custom persists to this day, and they are extensively trapped.

Edible Dormouse range

Edible Dormice prefer mature forest rather than Hazel scrub, and are particularly associated with Beech forest. Beech mast (seeds) are important for successful breeding and in poor years the animals may not even come into breeding condition – which is apparently triggered by the adults feeding on beech flowers in the spring. As with their smaller cousins they are quite omnivorous and shift their diet through the year. Before entering hibernation, which can last seven months or more, they put on a lot of weight, giving their alternative name of Fat Dormouse. Hibernation sites may be shared and where available often include crevices in caves, and they can descend deep into them in search of the right conditions. Failing that they can excavate their own burrows in dry soil and are reported from studies on the British population to seal themselves in entirely as protection against predators such as mustelids

As with other dormice they are long lived, over 12 years having been recorded even in the wild. Associated with this they take some time to reach maturity, probably not breeding until their third or fourth calendar year. There are usually only 4 or five young in a litter, and usually only one litter a year. They are quite territorial and are also quite vocal, with adults calling from high branches to mark territory. Natural enemies would be mustelids such as Beech and Pine martens and various raptors, especially owls.

Forest Dormouse

Midway in size between the Hazel and Edible Dormouse, the Forest Dormouse Dryomys nitedula is found away from agricultural areas in a variety of forest types, including coniferous forest, and often at high elevations. In Europe the densest population is in Moldova, but its range extends eastward through Iran and Afghanistan into western China. As with other dormice it is omnivorous and long lived. The specific name nitidula “nest builder” refers to the large nests, similar to the drey of a squirrel, that they construct from twigs to give birth in. Whether or not they hibernate, and for how long, depends on the local climate, with individuals in Israel remaining active year-round.

Forest Dormouse range

Garden Dormouse

Of a similar size to the Forest Dormouse, the Garden Dormouse Eliomys quercinus is slightly more terrestrial than other dormice and is often found in rocky areas. It is commonest in warmer climates around d the Mediterranean, and several islands have endemic subspecies. It has declined more than any other European rodent, especially in the east, and in Ukraine there are only a few areas whgere it can be found. As a result it is classed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, whereas other European dormice are all least Concern. Although omnivorous like its relatives, its diet does seem to include more animal protein than vegetable. It preys upon large insects, birds eggs and nestlings, and even smaller rodents, but will also feed on various fruits and nuts.

Garden Dormouse range

Northern Birch Mouse

Most closely related to the jerboas, although of a far more normal small rodent appearance, two species of birch mice are found in Ukraine. Although closely related, the Northern Birch Mouse Sicista betulina and the Nordmanns Birch Mouse Sicista loriger prefer different habitats and have different ranges.

Northern Birch Mouse range

The Northern Birch Mouse has a range extending from Scandinavia east to Lake Baikal, and south to the Carpathian mountains. As a result it is on the southern edge of its range in Ukraine, where it lives in coniferous or mixed deciduous woodland and wet scrub. It hibernates in the winter for seven or eight months, and during the summer produces usually only a single litter of up to six young. They feed mainly on various plant material but also take insects, earthworms and snails. In the western part of its range it is uncommon, but it is frequent in the east and as a result is classed as Least Concern. Its only real threat would be deforestation and possibly climate change.

Nordmanns Birch Mouse

By contrast Nordmanns’ Birch Mouse is an animal of much more open habitats, preferring steppe, open woodland, and even semi-desert. They do not dig their own burrows but use natural holes or crevices. Like their northern relatives they hibernate many months each year. Also unlike their relatives, they have a very restricted range mostly in the grasslands east of Odessa with a few isolated populations known in Moldova and Romania, plus one part of southern Russia. As a result of this fragmented and probably declining population they are listed as Vulnerable, and are at risk of agricultural development and habitat destruction.

Nordmanns Birch Mouse range

Dormice and Birch mice are both old groups of rodents, with various Birch mice known from as long as 17 million years ago, and various dormice from even longer ago. These ancient groups of rodents tend to have fairly low reproductive rates and long lifespans, a life strategy adapted to relatively constant and predictable habitats. During the Pleistocene the rapid climate fluctuations has suited the evolution of species with high birth rates and short lives that can rapidly take advantage of new conditions, and in Europe the various Apodemus Wood Mice are classics of this type. Ukraine is home to five species, which between them exploit habitats from grassland to closed canopy woodland, although woodland edge with its wide variety of food usually hold the greatest numbers. Apodemus species are mostly terrestrial, although they are agile and will climb into bushes for berries and nuts as well as insects and other food. They can have five litters a year of six or more young, so populations can rapidly explode in good conditions.

Striped Field Mouse

An example of this type is the Striped Field Mouse Apodemus agrarius, which seems to be currently expanding its range westwards (it reached Austria in the 1990’s) Fairly large for an Apodemus species, it can weigh 50g and 120mm long. As well as being a serious agricultural pest on occasion they also harbour a variety of dangerous viruses which are a risk to human and animal health. It exists in two separate parts of the world, an eastern population in eastern China and the second population centred in eastern Europe west to Italy and Germany. The range expansion is most likely due to creation of farmland from forest, which opened up new habitat.

Striped Field Mouse range

Yellow-Necked Mouse

By contrast the Yellow-Necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis is a true European species. With arrange from southern Britain into Russia west of the Ural Mountains. They prefer woodland or forest edge and are great hoarders of acorns, hazel nuts and other large seeds. They dig extensive burrow systems and will also climb into bushes or even enter houses.

Yellow-Necked Mouse range

Eurasian Harvest Mouse

Given its truly gigantic range – it extends from Britain to Vietnam – The Eurasian Harvest Mouse is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern. Despite that, changes in farming practises have caused declines in many parts of their range and in Britain they are a protected species. Their original favoured habitat was probably tall grassland and reedbeds, which they still favour today. They need permanent dense vegetation to make their winter nests in and large agricultural fields are useless to them in the winter. In the spring they climb up, helped by their prehensile tails, and make their nests suspended in the grass or reeds in which they raise their large litters of young. They are truly tiny animals, no bigger than 11g and usually half that.

Harvest Mouse range

Steppe Mouse

One final rodent to be found in Ukraine is the open-country relative of the common House Mouse, the oddly-behaving Steppe or Mound-Building Mouse Mus spicilegus. They are classic steppe and open country animals, found from Austria east into southern Ukraine and south into Greece. These animals are hard to tell apart from House Mice until they are observed in the autumn. At this time of year up to fourteen mice cooperate in gathering a mound to protect their winter food stores. 

Steppe Mouse mound

These mounds are usually one or two metres across, but mounds up to 4m across have been recorded, and when freshly built can be 50cm high. Given the short life spans of these rodents the mounds are actually built by the young of the year when they are only a few weeks old. The storage chambers within the mounds can hold 10kg of food. Vegetation is also incorporated into the structure of the mound, and it is possible that fermentation of this generates heat to keep the nest builders warm. They are only social in the winter – during the summer breeding season they become at least socially monogamous with significant paternal care and females become quite aggressive to rival females.

Steppe Mouse range

This concludes the survey of the rodents of Ukraine – next time I will turn to the small carnivores that prey on them.

Ukraine Part 4: Hamsters, Voles and others

 

Common Hamster preparing to attack

The Golden Hamster is a popular pet with children, although to be honest other rodents are better choices, and when I was a child we had a succession of them in the house. Definitely not suitable as a pet is the cavy sized (maximum 450g) Common Hamster Cricetus cricetus, which is notorious for a decidedly aggressive disposition. Try to pick one up and it will not sit placidly in your hand but rather try to bite it off. This is probably an inevitable result of being a handy sized meal for basically every carnivorous mammal or bird in Europe, and being decidedly territorial and solitary as well.

Common Hamsters despite their name are becoming increasingly uncommon, to the point of being classed as Critically Endangered. Their range before their recent decline extended from eastern France to Kazakhstan, and Poland to Georgia. A classic grassland animal, they adapted well to the rise of agriculture to the point of becoming a serious pest, and as a single hamster can store as much as 65kg of grain in the depths of its burrow then it easy to see how it has historically been persecuted. The recent rise of industrial agriculture however has had a serious effect, not least because modern crops tend to be cleaned of the agricultural weeds that are vital to its diet – in fact a lack of vitamin B3 in the diet due to living exclusively on maize is associated with behavioural abnormalities including infanticide.

In normal circumstances Common Hamsters live in a burrow that during the winter may be several metres deep. They prefer deep, heavy soils where burrow construction is easiest. Each hamster has its own burrow which it defends vigorously, only meeting another hamster to mate. After a very short pregnancy of only 18 days the female gives birth to up to 15 pups, although usually less, and in the course of a summer usually has two litters. Clearly maximum productivity is potentially very high, and they need to have this ability as foxes, mustelids, various raptors both diurnal and nocturnal, and probably many snakes will prey on them.

In Ukraine until the 1990’s Common Hamsters were widespread and common, especially in the forest steppe zone away from the drier soils of the south east. Densities reached up to 7 burrows per hectare. Since then there has been a major decline, and they are effectively extinct over much of the country. The chief reason for this is probably changes in agricultural crops – they much preferred alfalfa fields to cereals and decline in cattle with inevitable decline in need for alfalfa forage has removed habitat. Burning of fields and use of pesticides and herbicides has also removed much of their food and habitat.

Grey Dwarf Hamster

Also present in Ukraine is the much smaller Grey Dwarf Hamster, Cricetulus migratorius. A much smaller animal, it averages around 10cm long and 40g or so – about 1/10 of a Common Hamster. This is much more a dry country animal, living in areas of open vegetation and semi-desert, often at high altitudes and avoiding wetter areas. In many parts of its range, which extends east from Ukraine into western China and south into the Middle East it is associated with people, sometimes even living in houses, Unlike its giant relative it is listed as Least Concern, and as it is not so dependent on good farmland that state is unlikely to change. In other ways it is similar in behaviour, being a solitary animal living in burrows and making extensive stores of food for hard times.

Steppe Lemming

Much less solitary than hamsters are the so-called Steppe Lemmings Lagurus lagurus. Technically a vole, these tend to live in family groups with each family having a main domicile burrow with several entrances and a nesting chamber. Each family will stay close to the burrow, usually within 6m of their home. As with their Arctic counterparts they have extreme fluctuations in population, and can build up their numbers rapidly when conditions are good. As they can have six litters of up to seven young a year population explosions can occur, and when this happens large numbers will disperse in search of food in the form of seeds, bulbs and other plant material. Today it is an eastern species with Ukraine marking the western end of a range through Mongolia into China, but fossil remains show that in the cold and dry habitats south of the ice sheets during the Ice Ages its ranged extended as far west as the British Isles.

Tatra Vole

Many species of Microtus voles are found in grasslands and fields across Europe. Ukraine is home to six species, but one of the least known is the Tatra Vole Microtus tatricus. Ukraine and Romania share a unique subspecies M. tatricus zykovi. Unlike the previous species, this very much avoids farmland and is only known from natural habitats such as alpine meadows, often at high elevation.

Snow Vole

Living well away from the grassy fields of the lowlands, the Snow Vole Chionomys nivalis is an animal of rocky areas above the tree line. As with many small rodents it is mostly solitary and territorial and feeds on green plants, seeds and a few insects. They tend to use scree slopes and dig burrows among the rocks. They are active both by day and by night, and may bask in the sun on occasion. They have a wide range in European and Asian mountains, as far west as Portugal and as far east as Turkmenistan

Thick-tailed Three Toed Jerboa

Not related to the various members of the hamster and vole family, a Ukraine species that is hard to confuse with any other small rodent is the Thick-Tailed Three Toed Jerboa, Stylodipus telum. Growing to abody length of around 11 cm, with a tail as long again, the rather unwieldy name is at least descriptive of a species that has a method of locomotion that is instantly recognizable – they hop. They live in deserts and desertified steppes, and Ukraine is at the west end of their distribution which extends through central Asia into China. They live in complex burrows with multiple entrances/ exits. . The reproductive rate is low for a rodent, with only a single litter of up to six young each year. They are almost entirely nocturnal, leaving their burrows to hunt for seeds and insects. Although fairly widespread, the subspecies found in Ukraine S. telum falz-feini is fairly rare and at risk from agricultural development and pesticides.

Next time I will look at the remaining variety of rodents in Ukraine. The dormice and field mice

Ukraine Part 3: Rodents underfoot

 

Signs of the Sandy Mole Rat

In the dry habitat of steppe the main sources of plant food are the leaves, flowers and seeds of the steppe vegetation and their underground storage organs in the form of roots and rhizomes. The ground is usually very hard however, which makes the kind of tunnelling moles are famous for difficult. Rodents on the other hand come equipped with perfect tools for not so much tunnelling as gnawing through the ground, and several groups of rodents have adapted to the lifestyle. In Europe and Asia these are the blind mole rats in the family Spalacidae.

These weird rodents get their name from the complete absence of eyes, which are covered by skin. Ukraine is home to five species. They have a similar lifestyle, digging extensive burrow systems containing nesting chambers, latrines and storage chambers, often many tens of metres across and many metres deep, which is where they survive the cold winters deep underground and protected from frost. Fairly large for rodents, they are mostly around the size of a brown rat or larger. They tend to be solitary animals, only meeting for the breeding season, and as they spend almost their entire lives underground their main natural enemies are snakes and animals such as foxes or other animals that can dig. Not quite as long lived as the famous (and unrelated) Naked mole rat of Africa, some individuals are still on record as reaching 15 years in captivity.

Sandy Mole Rat Spalax arenarius

One of the rarest of Ukraine’s mole rats, and endemic to the country, the Sandy Mole Rat Spalax arenarius is found east of Odessa around the lower Dnepr in sandy soils, mostly within the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. Outside the 55km2 of total area where it can be found the few remaining populations are highly fragmented and threatened by conversion of habitat to forestry. A solitary species, as far as is known, it breeds only once each year. Currently classed as Endangered by the IUCN, the assessment is 14 years old and needs updating.

S.arenarius range

Balkan Mole Rat Spalax gracus

Not quite as threatened, but still classed as Vulnerable, the Balkan Blind Mole Rat Spalax graecus is slightly misnamed, as it does not come from Greece but rather has a range just east of the Carpathian mountains overlapping Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Not quite as specialised as S.arenarius, it inhabits steppes, pastures and orchards, often with northern exposures. It occurs at low densities of usually only a few individuals per hectare.

S.graecus range

Podolsk Mole Rat Spalax zemni

S.zemni mounds in habitat

One of the more widespread of Ukraine’s mole rats, the Podolsk mole rat S.zemni has a range that extends over much of central and northwest Ukraine. It is mainly found on virgin steppes, but does not mind some woodland and indeed feeds on the roots of tree seedlings, although it also feeds on roots of many other plants including agricultural crops. Very little is known of its behaviour, as with other mole rats, and although it has a large range it is classed as Vulnerable and is probably declining as a result of agricultural intensification.

Podolsk Mole Rat range

Greater Mole Rat Spalax micropthalmus

One of the largest of all mole rats, the Greater Mole Rat S.micropthalmus can reach 30cm long and 570g in weight. It favours softer soils with black earth, avoiding sandy or loamy soils, and can be a pest. As a single individual can cache 15kg of food in its store chambers the impact of a large population can be large. Its main range is in the east of Ukraine extending into Russia.

Greater Mole Rat range

Lesser Mole Rat Nannospalax leucodon

Classed in a separate genus, the Lesser Mole Rat Nannospalax leucodon may actually be a complex of cryptic species. It has a large range mostly to the south of Ukraine through Greece and the Balkans, where it prefers loose soils to dig extensive burrows. As with the other species ploughing is destructive to its burrows, but it can use orchards and pastureland as well as steppe grassland. Given its range it is probably not a threatened species as a whole, but as with its relatives is probably at least locally threatened by conversion of habitat for agriculture and construction.

Lesser Mole Rat range

Northern Mole Vole Ellobius talpinus. Note the beady eyes

Not at all closely related to the blind mole rats, but with a similar lifestyle, the Northern Mole Vole Ellobius talpinus is much smaller, around 13cm long and a weight of 70g. Unlike the blind mole rats it has well developed eyes. It is also more sociable, with colonies usually consisting of a queen, several males plus one or two litters of young, with a maximum group size of up to 20 individuals, though half that is more usual. Within Ukraine it is found in the southeast of the country.

Northern Mole Vole range

So much for subterranean rodents. Among the grasses above ground there is also a large variety of rodents of various sizes, and those are what I will cover next.

New arrivals: European Souslik

New Arrivals: European Souslik

European souslik, S.citellus

Some recent visitors to the zoo will have noticed that the old prairie dog enclosure now appears to be empty. More careful (and watchful) visitors, especially at quieter times, will see that we have added a new species to the collection, a group of young European souslik, Spermophilus citellus. These in many ways resemble in their behaviour the American prairie dogs, but are much smaller, about the size of a half grown guinea pig (cavy if you are an American reader). There are actually six pairs in the enclosure for now, but with luck by next year the numbers will have considerably increased.

Rodents of Bristol 9:The weirdest of them all

To draw this series on the rodents on show at Bristol to a close, I will finish with what is arguably the weirdest mammal (certainly the weirdest rodent) in the world, the Naked Mole Rat Heterocephalus glaber. Belonging to a sub-Saharan family of burrowing rodents, the Bathyergidae, Naked Mole Rats are confined to the horn of Africa from Kenya to the Sudan, where they can be locally common depending on the environment.


As you might guess from their range, they are essentially aridland animals, living almost entirely on the starchy tubers of desert plants, which provide all the water they need. Some of these tubers can be 60cm across, and the colony will feed on them for months or years. Quite often, when they finish they will use the hollow in the still living plant as a latrine site, thereby providing the plant with a fertilizer boost so they can return in a year or two’s time when it has regenerated.

Rodents of Bristol 8: Returning ratty

As many people in the UK at least will know, Ratty in Wind in the Willows was actually a Water Vole, Arvicola terrestris (there is some dispute about the scientific name – it may be more properly described as A.amphibius). Once a familiar sight along canals and rivers, anywhere in Britain (including northern Scotland) where there is dense grass or reed next to water, the Water Vole has experienced a catastrophic drop in numbers in recent years. The main causes appear to be habitat destruction and even more the spread of American Mink, which have escaped or been released from fur farms (in some cases by animal rights activists). Unfortunately, Mink are far more successful predators of voles than native ones such as Otters, Barn owls and Grey Herons, and in fragmented habitats especially the voles cannot survive the predation pressure.

Rodents of Bristol 7: Pests and their relatives

On display in Twilight world the final section is devoted to animals found in close proximity to man, of which three are rodents – House Mouse, Brown Rat, and Black or Roof Rat. All these are among the most succesful of all mammals, owing to their adaptation to life alongside humans (and their food stores). All are causes of serious conservation problems wherever they have been taken, especially on islands, where they readily abandon human dependency and prey on local wildlife, especially birds and their eggs.

Rodents of Bristol 6: Praire Dogs

One of the exhibits we have at Bristol that is very popular with the public is our small colony of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus. There are five species of prairie dogs - the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), the white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus), the Gunnison prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), the Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), and the Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus). The only species that is to be seen in zoos is the Black-Tailed.


Unlike the other species, the Black-Tailed does not hibernate, probably because it is usually found in warmer and wetter climates than the others, and its staple diet of grasses is therefore available all year round. In the autumn, broadleaf plants become more important as green grass is less available. In winter, any available green vegetation is consumed. In the spring and summer, each prairie dog consumes up to two pounds of vegetation per week.

Rodents of Bristol 5: Turkish Spiny Mice

On view in Twilight World here at Bristol we have a group of interesting small rodents, the Turkish Spiny Mice Acomys cilicicus. Several UK zoos hold this species; Bristol has 33 (at last count!) and there are nearly 600 in UK zoos in all. The reason there are so many being kept is that the species is believed to be rare and possibly endangered in its homeland – at present it is only known from the type locality. For species with a comparatively short lifespan and rapid turnover of generations, the captive population must be larger in order to avoid rapid loss of genetic diversity.

Rodents of Bristol 4: The Agouti

Often overlooked in the Zona Brazil section are two large rodents distantly related to the capybaras, although they are closer to the domestic guinea pig or cavy. These are our two male Azara’s Agouti, Dasyprocta azarae. There are eleven species of Dasyprocta currently described, although I would not be surprised to learn there are more, and they range although the tropical rainforests of central and South America. Azara’s Agouti is found from central and southern Brazil, through eastern Paraguay to Argentina.

Rodennts of Bristol 3: World's largest Guinea Pig

Two of the more popular animals in Zona Brazil, our Atlantic Rainforest section at Bristol are our two female capybaras, Daisy and Lily. The name capybara comes from Guarani, and means “master of the grasses”, a good name for the largest living rodent. They are indeed relatives of thhe common pet Guinea Pig or Cavy.

Capybaras can grow to 50kg or more, and are often common where they are found. There are two species, the common Capybara Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris and the Lesser Capybara Hydrochoerus isthmius. H. hydrochaeris is found throughout tropical South America, whereas H.isthmius only found in eastern Panama, northwestern Colombia and western Venezuela.

Capybara are highly aquatic, living a rather hippopotamus-like lifestyle, spending most of the day in the water and coming out on land to feed on waterside vegetation in the evening. Depending on hunting pressure, they may be almost nocturnal.

Rodents of Bristol 2: The Giant Rat of Madagascar

Although the Madagascar is famous for its lemurs, and to a lesser extent its reptiles, many other groups are either entirely or nearly entirely confined to the island. Among these are a very diverse group of rodents, the Nesomyids. Although clearly related to the giant rodent family Muridae, which includes the common pests of house mouse and brown rat, all the endemic Malagasy rodents form a single clade, which probably originated from a single colonization from Asia and subsequently diverged into the 21 species (at least) in nine genera that are known today.


Given that the number of species of lemur that have been identified in recent years, the comparative lack of study of the rodents, and the widespread habitat destruction in Madagascar, it seems likely that many more species have either recently become extinct or await discovery.

Madagascan rodents occupy every available habitat, from dry spiny forest to rainforest, and vary in size and habitat from the gerbil-like Macrotarsomys up to the 1.5kg subject of this article, the Giant Jumping Rat or Votosvotsa Hypogeomys antimena.