A long-mythical type of rat capable of growing to the size of a human baby and with teeth big enough to chew coconuts has been photographed for the first time.
The critically endangered Uromys vika, one of the world’s rarest rodents, was captured by cameras installed on the remote South Pacific island of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands, according to the University of Melbourne.
The species was not discovered until 2017, when a single outsized but unphotographed rat was seen on the island, which remains the only place it has been seen.
The initial subject is believed to have fallen from a tree and died, becoming the first new rodent species discovered in the Solomon Islands in more than 80 years.
“For decades, both anthropologists and mammalologists were aware of the ‘folklore surrounding giant rats,’ but periodic efforts to scientifically identify and document this species were unsuccessful,” noted study lead author Dr. Tyrone Lavery. .
His team was able to use camera traps filled with sesame oil to capture 95 images of four different Uromuys vikas: one male and three females, the university said.
This is the first known photograph of Uromys vika, one of the world’s rarest rodents, in its natural habitat. Dr Tyrone Lavery/University of Melbourne, Dr Tyrone Lavery/University of Melbourne
“Capturing images of the Vangunu giant rat for the first time is extremely positive news for this little-known species,” Lavery said.
The giant rat has a long tail, very short ears, and is at least twice the size of a common rat; Adult animals can grow to at least a foot and a half in length.
The elusive giant rat lives only on the Pacific island of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands. Dr. Tyrone Lavery
Locals say this huge rodent, which builds its nests in trees on the 210-square-mile island, can crack open green coconuts with its prominent teeth.
The Uromys vika is listed as critically endangered because its habitat is being destroyed by logging.
The huge rodent uses its teeth to chew coconuts. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“This comes at a critical time for the future of the last Vangunu forests, which the Zaira community has been fighting to protect from logging for 16 years,” said Lavery, from the University of Melbourne’s School of Biosciences.
If logging continues, Lavery warned, “it will certainly lead to [the] extinction of the giant rat Vangunu.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn