Mammals of the WorldGreater Bandicoot Rat
Bandicota indica
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Bandicota
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Sri Lanka|India|Nepal|Bangladesh|China|Myanmar|Thailand|Laos|Cambodia|Vietnam
- Realm
- Palearctic|Indomalaya
About this species
- Size
- Head and body about 30–45cm; tail up to 28cm
- Diet
- Household refuse, grain and vegetables
- Habitat
- Around human dwellings, gardens and farms
- Range
- Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia to southern China
- Litter size
- 8–14 pups
The greater bandicoot rat, or Indian bandicoot rat, is a large rodent that can reach 30–45 cm in head and body length without its tail, which can add up to 28 cm. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, eastern Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. It is not fussy about food, taking household refuse, grain and vegetables, and it lives around human dwellings, in compounds and gardens (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds prolifically. A female can have 8–10 litters in a lifetime, of 8–14 pups born blind and naked, and the young reach sexual maturity at 50–60 days. It is a serious pest on poultry farms. The cached account of the species is short and gives no detail specific to India (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)