Rare white-tailed rat found in Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary

AHMEDABAD: A rare white-tailed wood rat which is not a native of Gujarat was found dead in Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary in Narmada district.

The white-tailed wood rat is endemic to South Asia. The species is distributed in Bangladesh (Sathira), India and Sri Lanka. The rat is found mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal.

Deputy conservator of forest, Narmada, Sandeep Kumar, said that during the rounds in the jungle he spotted a rat which was crushed by a speeding vehicle. On closely examining the rodent, he found that half of its tail was white.


On further examination he realized that it was a white-tailed wood rat which is usually not found in Gujarat. Kumar said that the distribution range shows that the rodent is found in southern and central parts of the country.

A senior officer from the forest department revealed that so far no study has been undertaken to ascertain the number of this species in Gujarat which is different from the normal rat. The officer said that there is a need to take up a detailed study on the species and there could be more of them in the state. The officer said that even the International Union for Conservation of Nature report does not mention Gujarat as a habitat for this species. It appears that the rodent was not an old one as its feet were not white. Usually, the feet are white in adult, while it is brownish white in youngsters and hence, it appears that the rat might be young.

Specification:

Scientific Name:Madromys Blanfordi Thomas

Head and body—14-15cm

Tail — 19cm.

Colour: Dorsum grayish brown, darker on back and lighter on the sides.

* White underparts.

* Feet are white in adults, brownish white in young.

* Two-third of the tail is brown from the base then covered with long dense white furs.

Behaviour: The rat builds its nest in tree hollows in forests, but adapts to building its nest in boulder crevices.

Distribution: Southern and central India, north to Madhya Pradesh and east to Bihar and West Bengal.

Habitat: Deciduous and evergreen forest, scrub jungle. It remarkably adapts itself to rocky areas even in forests.