Sahyadris Forest Rat

About this species

Diet

Fruits and insects

Habitat

Moist deciduous and evergreen forest at 700–2,150m; middle and high canopy

Range

Northern Western Ghats: Satara in Maharashtra, the Nilgiri mountains and Kodagu

The Sahyadris forest rat has a long, soft coat with a golden-brown back and a white underside, and a very long tail. It was originally described as a subspecies of the black rat because of its similar appearance. It is native to the northern Western Ghats, where it is split between three regions: Satara in Maharashtra, the Nilgiri mountains in Tamil Nadu and Kodagu district in Karnataka (Wikipedia, general species account).

It has only been seen in moist deciduous and evergreen forest, between 700 and 2,150 m. It lives almost entirely in nests or burrows in the middle or high canopy, only occasionally coming to the ground near the base of a tree or vine, and it eats fruits and insects (Wikipedia, general species account).

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