#rodent species

[critter-of-the-day]

7th of October 2024: Celebes Rat

Let us explore the Indonesian forest by briefly checking out the Celebes Rat (Taeromys celebensis), also known as the Long-tailed Taeromys. They are found on Sulawesi, though their presence in certain parts of the island appears to be only historical, based upon fossils found there [1].

They appear to be very different than many of the other species in their genus. The prime example is that they’re arboreal while the other Taeromys are terrestrial. This also leads to them having a far longer tail than them [1]. Their body is already around 20 to 25 cm long, and their tail can add up to 30 cm to that [2].

They are considered very easy to trap, and is thus also found more easily than other Taeromys [3]. If you want to see them yourself you do have to go out at night though, as they are nocturnal [2] and even then it might be hard to spot them [4]. There is no information on their social life, however we do know that they feed on fruit [2]. They may also fall victim to the bushmeat trade and habitat loss, but luckily their range appears to be large enough that their existence is not threatened by this [3].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [Image] 

[wild-wow-facts]

Naked Mole Rats: Nature's Odd Resilience

Discover the secrets of the naked mole rat! These fascinating creatures can survive without oxygen for long periods. Uncover more about their unique abilities!

Check out my other videos here: Animal Kingdom Animal Facts Animal Education

[prolibytherium]

I love that I'm can always still find out about cool animals that I never knew existed. Like today I learned that brush-tailed porcupines exist and straight up look like giant rats with spines

[rebeccathenaturalist]

This is a really exciting development! We've already seen the positive effects of beavers returning to their historic range here in North America, so it's even better to see the same thing underway across the Atlantic. A single pair with their first litter of kits certainly isn't a large-scale reintroduction, but it's proof that these animals have the capacity to get back to work here.

Beavers are often called ecosystem engineers, and for good reason. These keystone species alter waterways by building dams and lodges, creating ponds and other aquatic habitats for species that can't handle faster-moving water. These also often serve as water reservoirs during summer droughts. The dams and lodges themselves may also provide nesting sites for birds and shelter for other animals, plants, and fungi.

Sadly there are still people who want to see beavers trapped and hunted as pests because their dams can sometimes flood fields, to include those that were historically seasonal wetlands. Until we stop seeing animals' value only in terms of whether they're useful to us or not, the beavers are going to face opposition as they reclaim their old territories on both continents.

Nonetheless, I give a hearty cheer to the Mammalian Corps of Engineers!

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Submitted for classification by @stevethe-intern

"This is Megatron my not so lil hamster"

[synthaphone]

do u have any opinions on the voidling designs from the new plot?

I have opinions on practically everything relating to neopets, lol

I don't hate them, but I definitely have critique for them. I think the main problems I have are that their poses are stiff (the 'neutral' poses in particular), and their faces feel flat in a way that feels unintentional- the line drawn above the bridge of the nose is used to imply depth, but if the mouth and nose are placed on the same plane as the eyes, the illusion of dimension doesn't work. The lines not having much variation in thickness also seriously contributes to the flat feeling.

did some rough sketches to illustrate how i'd personally tweak them- maybe i'll finish these later to take a stab at the line weights.

Conceptually, cat-based imps are a decent enough enemy type, but I do think that they're too close to wraiths visually. Not sure if they're planning on connecting these with those or not in the story, but as of right now they feel a bit redundant. It would maybe be fun to have more of the round shapes from the little floating molecules reflected in the designs, like if they were more liquid than gas? idk

[blujaydoodles]

in all ways except physical I am a six inch tall fuzzy little creature living in a mossy stump (which I've filled with a bunch of random shiny bullshit)

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

Am I hopping for fun? Are you kidding me, I'm just perpetually terrified.

Northern Hopping Mouse (Notomys aquilo)

Northern Territory, Australia, mostly Groote Eylandt

Status: Endangered

Threats: Feral cats, mining, changes in fire regime

[screamingfornoreason]

Planning on doing some USD Unique species adopts!

Lemmie know what y’all would be more interested in seeing!

Also examples of some of my designs below ^^

[low-poly-animals]

Riverwell Astenian from CAVERN CRUSHER

[critter-of-the-day]

23rd of September 2024: Cerrado Mouse

Today’s daily critter is the Cerrado Mouse (Thalpomys cerradensis). They are, as the name may suggest, from the Cerrado region [1]. This is a savannah-style region in Brazil mostly characterised by arid grasslands and shrubbery [2].

They are one of two species in their genus, and while both inhabit roughly the same areas, they can be told apart by the Cerrado Mouse being significantly larger, usually longer than 9 cm [3]. The Cerrado Mouse is also darker and of a more orange tone than the Hairy-eared Cerrado Mouse (T. lasiotis). While neither are common, the Cerrado Mouse is considered rarer [4] and was discovered more recently [3], thus leaving less information on their life history. Their remains can be found in owl pellets though [1].

We do know that they are strictly nocturnal though, with capture data indicating they are most active around the evening and right before the morning [5]. They also prefer habitats that burn frequently, and one study found that after burning a habitat, the number of Cerrado Mice in the area increased [6].

The last time the IUCN evaluated them was in 2016, but at the time they categorised them under “Least Concern”. This was because despite their rarity and patchy habitat, their populations are probably stable, as several of their habitat regions are also within national parks [1].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [Image] 

[reasonsforhope]

“By day, the shrubby clifftops of North Head, a thriving slice of bushland at the northern entrance of Sydney Harbour, Australia, are a popular walking spot for urban nature enthusiasts. But when night falls, this coastal reserve is ruled by a colony of bush rats, one of the most common native rodent species scampering along the shores of southeast Australia. For anyone lucky enough to spot one of the tennis ball–sized rodents, their endearing appearance sets them apart from their invasive relatives.

“They’re like little dumplings,” says Viyanna Leo, a wildlife ecologist at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, a nonprofit organization working with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to conserve North Head, adding “[they’re] quite round and fluffy.”

pictured: a cutie

The Project

The 250-hectare headland hasn’t always been a bush rat kingdom, though. Following a century of being vilified and exterminated from areas around Sydney Harbour, the bush rat population in North Head was wiped out decades ago by urbanization, habitat fragmentation, and predation by feral cats and foxes. The reserve was overrun by a gang of black rats, an invasive species that’s found on every continent except Antarctica. While bush rats help maintain the ecosystem’s native species, black rats wreak havoc. At North Head, they wasted no time plundering the burrows and tree hollow nests of small mammals and gorging on bird eggs, says Leo. “They were causing a lot of problems.”

But when given the chance, bush rats can be formidable ecological gatekeepers. In 2014, Leo and her team began reintroducing bush rats to North Head to drive out their intrusive counterparts. The rewilding effort is working, with annual wildlife surveys showing that black rat numbers dropped from an estimated 112 in 2019 to 29 by 2020. In May 2021, a mere nine black rats were captured. The project harnesses the bush rat’s innate territorial streak. The native rodents outcompete black rats for habitat and food, and Leo suspects that North Head will one day be a bush rat–only stomping ground. “If they’ve got the fort, they can maintain the territory,” she says.

For the reintroduction effort, Leo and her team captured 180 bush rats over three years from abundant populations in Muogamarra Nature Reserve and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, both located roughly 30 kilometers northwest of North Head. The researchers lured the rats into traps with a wholesome meal of oats, honey, and peanut butter, then assessed the animals’ genes to ensure they were diverse enough to build a flourishing new colony at North Head. After inserting a microchip into each rat, the team set the rodents free on the headland...

The Importance of Native Rodents

While most reintroductions focus on giving threatened species a boost, it’s just as important to prioritize common species in conservation efforts and rewilding projects, says Emily Roycroft, an evolutionary biologist specializing in native mammals and population genetics at the Australian National University. For instance, native rodents act as tiny engineers that shape the ecosystems they inhabit, spreading seeds, churning the soil, and keeping insect populations in check.

Native rodents provide fundamental ecosystem services, says Roycroft, who was not involved in Leo’s project. “We know that if [rodents] were once there, they were playing a role.”

Relocating common species like the bush rat can also provide a good dress rehearsal for riskier reintroductions, adds Roycroft. If something goes wrong when reintroducing a common species, there’s often enough time to tweak the approach and try again. But when researchers are dealing with a species that is on the brink of extinction, they only have one shot to get it right. “It might be the last chance for that particular species to establish a new population,” says Roycroft.

Leo suspects the bush rats have reclaimed their territory for good at North Head, which is now free of feral cats and foxes and protected from urban sprawl. “They’re pretty much established now,” she says. “I think they’ll continue to do well.”” -via Hakai Magazine, 1/11/23

[sar3nka]

Something about pet rats makes me very emotional. They've been domesticated for a really short time, and for the majority of that time they were used for experiments, killed and hurt in every possible way. It still happens now, and they're also used as snake food. And despite all that they're so loving and trusting. I've owned rats that were abused before and they never ever bit me. They trust me to help them if they're sick and never actually fight back if I cause them discomfort while trying to help. They trust me to comfort them when they're dying. I think we should all love and appreciate domestic rats more

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Hey, y'all. Wanna do a quick thing that will make a difference? The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering uplisting the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) from threatened to endangered. It was listed initially as threatened in 1993, and numbers have continued to decrease due to competition from invasive eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) as well as turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), and continued habitat loss and development. Most of the time when you see a squirrel in western Washington, it's an eastern gray. Western grays are still around, but continuing pressure is going to make that less likely in the years to come.

Even if you aren't in Washington, show the WDFW that you care about these little critters by making a public comment; you can find information on how to do that here, to include an email address if you don't want to use the public form. You don't need to write anything super elaborate or long; just a quick note saying you support the uplisting of the western gray squirrel to endangered will work. Then reblog so others can do the same.

The squirrels and I both thank you!

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Submitted for classification by @owlyfisher

"gerbil ❗"

[wootusart]

At The Museum Of Ratural Ratstory.

The Squeakerthals were an ancient Ratoose that coexisted with the Wooti many millennia ago. Their disappearance remains a mystery to this day although the dominant theory is that they were simply outcompeted by what became the modern Wootus. There is evidence however that at least in some cases they coexisted peacefully and even bred with the Wooti, but those who speak such blasphemy are soon silenced.