#808: Viscacha

The Viscacha of South America may look a little like a rabbit, but it is actually a rodent, closely related to the chinchilla. Unlike its thicker-furred companion, Viscacha are not endangered. There are five species.

#800: Vesper Rat

The Vesper Rats are two species of New World Rat found in Central America. She leads an arboreal lifestyle, foraging through the branches for fruit and seeds. During the day, she sleeps in a nest constructed from twigs and leaves. She breeds throughout the year, constructing the nest with the assistance of her mate and birthing up to three offspring. Infants are born partially furred and blind; they remain attached to the mother's teats for the first two weeks, and are weaned at three weeks.

#789: Variegated Squirrel

The Variegated Squirrel can be found in North and Central America. He can be found in both dry and wet forest, but favours the arid environment. He is solitary and diurnal, constructing a nest in which to sleep through the nights. Unlike his more northerly relatives, Variegated Squirrel do not hibernate, but will become less active through inclemental weather. His diet consists of fruit, seeds and nuts and he plays an important role in seed dispersal.

#641: Rat

Rats are medium-sized rodents, most commonly represented by the Rattus Genus. This fellow, the Black Rat, is one of the most known. Along with his cousin the Brown Rat, he has colonised much of the world. These "true" Rats are generalists and scavengers, happy to co-exist with humans and taking advantage of our wasteful habits. Both originated in Asia, but migrated with humans, stowing away on ships and inside cargo. Where the two species co-habit, it is the Brown Rat that generally dominates. The Black prefers warmer climates and leads a more arboreal existence. Both are invasive species and have caused massive damage to biodiversity on islands upon which they have been introduced.

#606: Prevost's Squirrel

Prevost's Squirrel is one of a Genus of rodent that are considered the "beautiful squirrels" of Asia. He is noted for his tricoloured pelt. Solitary and arboreal in nature, he forages through the treetrops for fruit, nuts, seeds, flowers, insects and birds eggs.

#602: Porcupine

The Porcupines are rodents, characterised by their long spines, modified from hair follicles. They can be classified into two Families: the Old World and the New World. This Crested Porcupine is an Old World Porcupine. He can be found in parts of Africa and also in Italy. When threatened, Porcupine will raise their quills, shaking them ominously. If this does not deter predation and the predator attempts to attack, he will be rewarded with a face-full of painful barbs. Contrary to folklore, Porcupine cannot fire their quills, however they dislodge very easily, to become embedded in the potential predator. 

Creature Feature #560: Paca

 

The Paca are three species of terrestrial, herbivorous rodents of South America. They are fairly large for a rodent, measuring between 50-77 cm in length. Habitat is rainforest and cloud forest, and Paca are generally found near water. She is a skilled swimmer, and can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes. During the daytime she mostly rests, foraging in the morning and evening, or sometimes during the night. The three species are fairly similar in appearance, and they also resemble the not-closely related Pacarana, which is sometimes known as the "false paca".

Pacarana can be distinguished by their slightly furrier face and their tail, which is thick and furry. The Paca's tail is almost non-existant.

Creature Feature #524: Nutria

The Nutria, or coypu, is a semi-aquatic rodent of South America. It is not to be confused with the unrelated otter (Nutria nutria). Due to her thick, water-resistant hair, the Nutria was popular in the fur industry. When her popularity declined, captive animals were released into the wild. Thus populations have become established in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Here her tendency to dig into river banks and devour all plant matter has marked her as an invasive pest.

Creature Feature #492: Namdapha Flying Squirrel

The beautiful Namdapha Flying Squirrel is a large flying squirrel, endemic to India. She is shy and nocturnal, found only in dry deciduous forests near water. Her gliding membrane extends from her forelegs to her hindlegs. Whilst this allows her to parachute from tree to tree, it does inhibit her agility through the branches. It is for this reason that she, and all flying squirrels, follow a nocturnal lifestyle. Due to her limited range and the wide occurance of poaching within this range, she is classified as Critically Endangered.

Creature Feature #491: Naked Mole-rat

The Naked Mole-rat is the one of the only eusocial mammals in the world. She lives in a colony structured somewhat like a bee hive: with one fertile, breeding female with 1-3 fertile males. The other females are all reproductively suppressed. Smaller Naked Mole-rats assist in gathering food and maintaining the nest, whilst large individuals undergo guarding duty. They also aid in caring for the pups. When the Queen dies, another will take her place, her hormones adjusting so that she becomes fertile. Litters can number up to 28 pups, although the average is 11. Naked Mole-rats are almost blind, almost hairless and designed to survive in their subterranean burrows. Her lungs are small and her skin lacks pain neurotransmitters, which helps her survive in areas with low oxygen and high cardon dioxide and acid levels.

Generally speaking, Naked Mole-rats are probably the ugliest animals I have ever seen. The only other eusocial mammal is the Damaraland Mole-rat which is larger and hairy and therefore marginly cuter (although it's still moslty all buckteeth.

Creature Feature #488: Muskrat

The Muskrat is a medium-sized rodent more closely related to lemmings and voles than to rats. His preferred habitat is wetlands, and he is native to North America. With his thick, short pelt, he is favoured in the fur industry, which has seen populations introduced into Europe. Muskrats live in family groups of a mated pair and their offspring. They live either in a hole in the bank, or by constructing a "push-up" from vegetation and mud. In snowy areas, the entrances are plugged with vegetation for insulation. His diet is largely vegetarian, supplemented with small animals.

Creature Feature #483: Mouse

Whilst there are thirty known species of Mice, the most commonly known is the House Mouse. This little rodent is native to Eurasia, but has been introduced to most of the world. Mice are voracious breeders, capable of 5-10 litters per year. She is ready to breed at six weeks of age, and wild mice generally live for about a year. During courtship, the male sings to the female with high-pitched, ultrasonic calls. House Mice have been domesticated and are frequently kept as pets. Their social structures are related to the availability of food. If food is available in quantity, large colonies form with a rigid hierarchy. Where less food is available, mice form individual territories.

Creature Feature #458: Marmot

The Marmot are a Genus of large squirrels, found in the mountainous regions across North America and Eurasia. This Yellow-Bellied Marmot occurs in Canada and the western United States. Social in nature, he lives in a burrow, which he shares with two or three mates. His colony forages during the day, dining on grass and other vegetation, as well as insects and bird eggs. As winter nears, he makes his way into a deeper hibernation burrow. Here he will remain until late spring.

Creature Feature #453: Mara

The Mara are a Genus of long-legged rodents living in the grassland steppes of South America. Mara are social animals, living in warrens, but form monogamous partnerships. Youngsters are born into communual dens. These can contain litters from up to 22 pairs. The mothers visit the den regularly, feeding their own pups, but others may sneak in to steal milk. The fathers circle the den, watchful for danger.  Youngsters grow fast. They stay near the den for the first three weeks, playing and grooming one another.

The Patagonian Mara is classified as "near threatened".

Creature Feature #417: Lemming

The Lemming is a small rodent of the Arctic tundra. She follows a vegetarian diet of leaves, shoots and grasses. Her teeth grow constantly, allowing her to consume toughier foliage. Despite her habitat, she does not hibernate, instead storing large quantities of vegetation for the leaner months. Whilst generally solitary in nature, she is a fast breeder. Populations can swell dramatically, leading to mass dispersal and migration into individual feeding grounds. This can lead to the crossing of waterways - Lemmings can swim - but may result in the death of some individuals. Unlike most rodents she is conspicuously coloured, and will behave aggressively towards predators.

Creature Feature #367: Kangaroo Rat

The Kangaroo Rat of North America is named for his method of locomotion. His long legs resemble those of a kangaroo, and help to propel him through his desert home. He is capable of leaps of over 2 metres, quickly changing direction between jumps. He is primarily a seed eater, caching the excess for leaner times. During the day he resides in his burrow, even plugging the entrance with dirt against the heat and to maintain humidity.   These burrows are complex, with chambers for sleeping, living and food storage. He lives alone, coming into contact with others for feeding and breeding.

Creature Feature #360: Jumping Rat

The Jumping Rat is more commonly known as the Malagasy Giant Rat. She is a large rodent, growing to around 33 cm in length, not including her tail. With her long, muscular back legs she is capable of making leaps almost 1m high. She is completely nocturnal, spending her days within a burrow she shares with her life-long mate. This can have as many as 6 entrances, allowing her ample choice of escape route. At night she ventures out to feast on fallen fruits, nuts and invertebrates which she digs for.

Creature Feature #327: Hutia

The Hutia are large cavy-like rodents of South America. There have been 20 species identified, of which a full third are extinct and almost all the remaining species are endangered. The exception to this is Demarest's Hutia of Cuba. He is widespread throughout his range, and was once hunted for food and even raised as a stock animal. In some areas he is still abundant enough to be considered a pest and can cause damage to crops. His diet is omnivorous, consisting of bark, leaves and fruit with the occasional small vertebrate. Unlike many reodents he does not burrow, but spends the nights sleeping in tree hollows or rock crevices. You ng are born fully furred and with open eyes.

Creature Feature #300: Hamster

The Hamsters are a group of small rodents characterised by their short tails and elongated cheek pouches. Their behaviour is crepuscular - they remain underground during the day and venture out in the evenings and mornings to forage for seeds, fruit, vegetation and insects. Food is stored in their cheek pouches, which can double, or triple, in size and hoarded in underground food chambers. Hamsters lead a solitary lifestyle, although some species will live in pairs. Hamsters, particularly the Syrian Hamster, have become popular in the pet industry, and have been bred with unusual colourations and longer fur. They do not tolerate colony living and are most active at night.

Creature Feature #169: Dormouse

The Dormice are a Family of small rodents spread across Europe, Africa and Asia, although the name is most commonly used to refer to this little critter - the Hazel Dormouse. She is nocturnal and spends her nights clambering through branches in search of fruits, berries, flowers and hazelnuts. Her existence is almost entirely arboreal and she will rarely, if ever, come to ground and will make detours to avoid having to descend. During the days she sleeps in a nest woven from honeysuckle bark, leaves and grasses. If the weather is cold and wet, she will sink into a deep sleep - a torpor, to save energy. In this manner she also hibernates through winter, thus spending a decent proportion of her life asleep (as illustrated in the book Alice in Wonderland)