Mammals of the WorldWhite-footed Indochinese Rat
Rattus nitidus
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Rattus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- India|Nepal|Bhutan|Bangladesh?|Myanmar|China|Thailand|Laos|Vietnam
- Realm
- Palearctic|Australasia|Indomalaya
Other names: Himalayan Field Rat
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 16–18cm
- Habitat
- Primary and secondary forest up to about 2,750m; plantations, farmland and around houses
- Range
- Northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, China and Southeast Asia
The Himalayan field rat, sometimes called the white-footed Indo-Chinese rat, has soft brown fur above and whitish underparts, each hair having a grey base. The feet are white, the hind feet are narrower than those of the brown rat, and ridged soles give extra grip when climbing. Head and body length is 16–18 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).
It has a wide range from northern India, Bhutan and Nepal through central, southern and eastern China to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, and has been introduced to Indonesia, Palau and the Philippines. It generally lives in primary and secondary forest up to about 2,750 m but is adaptable and is also found in plantations, on farmland and around houses (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)