Mallomys
Genus of rodents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mallomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae.[1] The name of the genus is formed from the Greek μαλλός, mallos, wool, and μῦς, mus, mouse/rat. These very large rats weigh between 0.95 and 2 kilograms (2.1 and 4.4 lb) and are native to highlands in New Guinea.[2] Little is known about their behavior, but they are believed to feed on leaves, grasses and other plant material.[2]
| Mallomys Temporal range: Pleistocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mallomys gunung | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Tribe: | Hydromyini |
| Genus: | Mallomys Thomas, 1898 |
| Type species | |
| Mallomys rothschildi | |
| Species | |
|
Mallomys aroaensis | |
It contains the following species:
- De Vis's woolly rat (Mallomys aroaensis)
- Alpine woolly rat (Mallomys gunung)
- Subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap)
- Rothschild's woolly rat (Mallomys rothschildi)
Apparently undescribed species of Mallomys have been reported from the Foja Mountains in Northern West Papua,[3] as well as within the crater of Mount Bosavi in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.[4]
