Langbian Tree Rat

About this species

Size

Head and body 13.5–15.5cm; tail 15.4–19.9cm

Weight

58–98g

Habitat

Seasonal deciduous and tropical evergreen forest, including lightly disturbed, primary and secondary habitat, at 60–2,800m

Range

Mainland South and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam

The Langbian tree rat is a medium-sized, softly furred murid with a dull greyish back, sometimes washed olive or tawny, sharply divided from a pure white or cream underside. Its head and body measure 13.5–15.5 cm, the slender dark-brown tail 15.4–19.9 cm, and adults weigh 58–98 g. Very long whiskers extend behind the head, while broad brown or chestnut marks cross the tops of the feet toward white toes (Handbook of the Mammals of the World 2017).

Nocturnal and arboreal, it shelters among vines and dense foliage and is captured most often in trees, though it sometimes uses shrubs and the ground. It occupies seasonal deciduous and tropical evergreen forest, including primary, secondary and lightly disturbed sites, from 60 to 2,800 m. Its mainland range extends from north-eastern India through Myanmar, Thailand and Laos to Vietnam and Cambodia, with an isolated record in Yunnan. It can be confused with the ground-dwelling Indochinese white-bellied rat (Handbook of the Mammals of the World 2017).

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