Ziegler's water rat
Ziegler's water rat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Hydromys |
Species: | H. ziegleri
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Binomial name | |
Hydromys ziegleri Helgen, 2005
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Ziegler's water rat (Hydromys ziegleri), discovered in the mid-2000s, is a semiaquatic species of rodent native to the mountains Papua New Guinea of which little is known.[1]
Research and history
It was discovered in 2005 by K. Helgen,[2] and later was assessed by Helgen, and A. Allison in 2008.[1] The water rat was named in honor of the deceased Dr. Alan C. Ziegler from the Bishop Museum.[2] It has been rated as data deficient for the purposes of the IUCN redlist because insufficient is known about the creature's population range, threats, and numbers.[1] Only two specimens have ever been recorded by scientists.[1] The water rat may be threatened by logging of its forest habitat but more research is needed to codify this theory.[1] It is also believed it may inhabit the northern slopes of its mountain home but study is needed to determine this as fact.[1]
Habitat
This species inhabits both terrestrial and freshwater systems. This includes forests, subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests, inland wetlands, permanent watercourses, and artificial terrestrial areas.[1] The animal has only been recorded in Bainyik, located on the south slopes of the Prince Alexander Mountains at an elevation of 200 meters (650 feet).[1] The rat has been found to live in creeks and rivers in low lying tropical rain forests but it may also live in higher elevations.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helgen, K. & Allison, A. (2008). "Hydromys ziegleri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ a b Dictionary of Australian and New Guinean mammals, Ronald Strahan, Pamela Conder, 2007, access date 06-11-2011.
External links
- Profile on IUCN redlistError: "Q1971434" is not a valid Wikidata entity ID.
- Cite iucn maint
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- IUCN Red List data deficient species
- Articles with 'species' microformats
- Taxonbars desynced from Wikidata
- Taxonbar pages requiring a Wikidata item
- Taxonbars with invalid from parameters
- Taxonbars without secondary Wikidata taxon IDs
- Hydromys
- Mammals described in 2005
- Endemic fauna of New Guinea
- Rodents of Papua New Guinea