Lesser Bandicoot Rat

About this species

Size

Head and body about 25cm; up to 40cm including tail

Diet

Grains, fruit and invertebrates

Habitat

Burrows in cereal crops and gardens; can tunnel in concrete

Range

Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka

Litter size

10–12 young per litter

The lesser bandicoot rat, also called the Bengal rat or Indian mole-rat, is a giant rat of southern Asia, unrelated to the true bandicoots, which are marsupials. It is up to about 40 cm long including the tail, with a head and body of about 25 cm and a uniformly dark tail shorter than the body. The fur is dark or, rarely, pale brown above, occasionally blackish, and light to dark grey below. It grunts like a pig when attacking (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is regarded as a pest in the cereal crops and gardens of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. It digs extensive burrows with a characteristic pile of earth at the entrance, made of numerous chambers and bolt-holes, and is an especially aggressive burrower, reported to tunnel into concrete cellars. Usually one animal occupies a burrow except when a mother has young. It is nocturnal or most active at twilight and eats mainly grains, fruit and invertebrates. Females can have up to ten litters, and adults live about 8–9 months (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)