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Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientist reveals world-first footage of subalpine wooly rat, a rodent species as big as a domestic cat
A scientist has discovered a species of rat that measures more than 2.5ft-long in Papua New Guinea. The species, called the subalpine woolly rat, has sharp incisors, thick fur, and clawed paws measuring three inches. It is three times the size of a brown rat and new footage has revealed one of them scampering across a tree branch at night, likely in search for food. Frantisek Vejmelka works for the Biology Center of the Czech Academy Of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. He said: 'It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied.' 'How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?' The species only lives in the steep highlands of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. Until now, the subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap) has been known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. First described in 1989 based on historical museum material, it was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed. But the Czech researcher's new photos and video footage show the animal in its natural habitat for the first time. During his six-month expedition, he worked with local tribes to survey Mount Wilhelm, the highest peak in Papua New Guinea which reaches 14,793ft above sea level. According to expert's measurements, the subalpine woolly rat is a length of 2.7ft, including the tail and weighs nearly 4.4lb. This compares to an average length of about 2.3ft of 8lb to 10lb for the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the average brown rat today has a body length of about 11 inches and usually weighs 0.44-0.66lb. Vejmelka also gathered data on the rat's diet, parasites, activity patterns, movement, and other aspects of its lifestyle. According to the expert, the nocturnal species leads a hidden life in remote, hard-to-reach areas, which explains why it's so understudied. It climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. Vejmelka's work, published in the journal Mammalia, contributes to a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of New Guinea's underexplored tropical mountains. He said: 'These are the first specimen records in 30 years for this spectacular mammal poorly known to science. 'Camera trap images and video, as well as photographs of the habitat and hunting with indigenous people, deepen our understanding of the activity patterns, locomotion, diet, intrageneric elevational partitioning, and behavioral ecology of the woolly rats.' New Guinean woolly rats, together with the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, are the largest rodents belonging to the murine family. They are found only in the steep highlands of New Guinea covered in pristine rainforest. However, the subalpine woolly rat is not the largest rat in the world. The world's biggest rat in terms of length is the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which reaches 3ft-long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. Another big rat species is the Malagasy giant rat (Hypogeomys antimena) found in Madagascar, which can grow to about 2ft. But the largest rodents to ever have walked the Earth – including Josephoartigasia monesi and Phoberomys pattersoni – are now extinct. Unusually large animals from history known as 'megafauna' typically died out due to climate and environmental shifts, plus human hunting.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Giant RATS three times the size of standard rodents are discovered: Enormous vermin have sharp incisors, thick fur and 3-inch paws, scientists warn
If you have a fear of abnormally large rodents, you might want to look away now. A scientist has discovered a whopping species of rat that measures more than 2.5 feet long – three times the size of a brown rat. The 'striking and formidable' species, called the subalpine woolly rat, has sharp incisors, thick fur and clawed paws measuring three inches (8cm). Astonishing footage shows a giant rat scampering across a tree branch in the dead of night, likely in search for food. Fortunately, the shaggy-furred beast isn't to be found in Britain and only lives in the steep highlands of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. The find was made by František Vejmělka at the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. 'It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied,' he said. 'How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?' Until now, the subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap) has been known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. First described in 1989 based on historical museum material, it was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed. But the Czech researcher's new photos and video footage show the animal in its natural habitat for the first time. During his six-month expedition, he worked with local tribes to survey Mount Wilhelm, the highest peak in Papua New Guinea which reaches 14,793ft (4,509 metres) above sea level. Camera trap images and video recorded the elusive species inhabiting the cool, misty montane forests and grasslands at elevations of around 12,000ft (3,700 metres). According to expert's measurements, the subalpine woolly rat is a length of 2.7 inches (85cm) including the tail and weighs nearly 2 kilograms. This compares to an average length of about 2.3 feet (70cm) and weight of 3.6 to 4.5 kilograms for the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the average brown rat today has a body length of about 11 inches (28cm) and usually weighs 200-300g. Mr Vejmělka also gathered data on the mega-rat's diet, parasites, activity patterns, movement, and other aspects of its lifestyle. According to the expert, the elusive nocturnal species leads a hidden life in remote, hard-to-reach areas – which explains why it's so understudied. It climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. His work, published in the journal Mammalia, contributes to a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of New Guinea's underexplored tropical mountains. 'These are the first specimen records in 30 years for this spectacular mammal poorly known to science,' said Mr Vejmělka, who also paid tribute to the local tribes who helped in. 'Camera trap images and video, as well as photographs of the habitat and hunting with indigenous people, deepen our understanding of the activity patterns, locomotion, diet, intrageneric elevational partitioning, and behavioural ecology of the woolly rats.' New Guinean woolly rats, together with the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, are the largest rodents belonging to the murine family. They are found only in the steep highlands of New Guinea covered in pristine rainforest. In the absence of other competing mammals, they have diversified over five million years into a remarkable variety of shapes and sizes. While it's undoubtedly a whopper, the the subalpine woolly rat is not the largest rat in the world. The world's biggest rat in terms of length is the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which reaches 3ft (0.9 metres) long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. Another big rat species is the Malagasy giant rat (Hypogeomys antimena) found in Madagascar, which can grow to about 2ft. But the largest rodents to ever have walked the Earth – including Josephoartigasia monesi and Phoberomys pattersoni – are now extinct. Unusually large animals from history known as 'megafauna' typically died out due to climate and environmental shifts, plus human hunting. Giant prehistoric rat as big as a HUMAN that weighed 175lbs and had a tiny brain lived in the Amazon rainforest 10 million years ago A giant prehistoric rat as big as a human that lived in the Amazon rainforest ten million years ago has been discovered by scientists. Neoepiblema acreensis weighed around 175lbs (80kg) and reached five feet in length - making it the biggest rodent ever to roam South America. To put this in perspective, the average brown rat today has a body length of less than a foot and weighs about half a pound. Neoepiblema acreensis also had two huge curved incisor teeth and a tiny brain that weighed just four ounces (114 grams).
