Crab-eating rat
Species of rodent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The crab-eating rat (Ichthyomys hydrobates) is a species of semiaquatic rodent in the family Cricetidae.[2] It is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Its lives near areas of rivers and swamps.
| Crab-eating rat | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | Ichthyomys |
| Species: | I. hydrobates |
| Binomial name | |
| Ichthyomys hydrobates (Winge, 1891) | |
Distribution
This species is distributed across the Andes mountains of western Venezuela, Colombia and northern Ecuador. It occurs in elevations between 1000-2800 meters. It lives in mountainous regions with clouded forests near areas with rivers, streams and swamps.[1]
Conservation
While they have been classified as least concerned by the IUCN red list, their population of the crab-eating rat is decreasing due to habitat loss from deforestation, agriculture and aquaculture and from pollution of water.[1]
