Suntsov's Marmoset Rat

About this species

Size

Head and body 12.7–14.6cm; tail 15–16.5cm

Habitat

Bamboo forest; adapted for arboreal life

Range

Known from Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam

Suntsov's marmoset rat is a medium-sized arboreal murid with soft, dense grey-brown fur above and a sharply contrasting white underside. Measured animals had a head-and-body length of 12.7–14.6 cm and a 15–16.5 cm tail, around 116% of body length. The tail ends in longer hairs, and the fully opposable first toe bears a nail rather than a claw—an adaptation shared by climbing marmoset rats (Abramov, Balakirev & Rozhnov 2017).

Described from Binh Phuoc Province in southern Vietnam, it was considered a probable Vietnamese endemic and the country's southernmost recorded marmoset rat. Marmoset rats are adapted to life in Southeast Asian bamboo forest, but the paper provides little direct behavioural information for this species. Suntsov's marmoset rat differs from Delacour's marmoset rat in tail proportions, skull details, DNA and chromosome number; those characters are more reliable than body size alone because the two are similarly sized (Abramov, Balakirev & Rozhnov 2017).

Description: Wildlife of Vietnam guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com)