Daovantien's Limestone Rat

About this species

Habitat

Talus of large limestone blocks (forested)

Range

North-eastern Vietnam (Huu Lien Nature Reserve, Lang Son)

Daovantien's limestone rat is a murid rodent native to north-eastern Vietnam, the only known species in the genus Tonkinomys. It was first discovered in forested talus habitat in the Huu Lien Nature Reserve, Lang Son Province (Wikipedia, general species account).

The genus is distinguished from other Indomalayan murids by semispinous, dense, greyish-black fur on the upperparts, a dark grey underside, grey ears, a thick bicoloured tail considerably shorter than the head and body, and large, extremely bulbous footpads. It lives in rocky habitat and was found only in talus of large limestone blocks; its distribution in the reserve is thought to be patchy.

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