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ULTRA-RARE GIANT RAT THAT CAN GROW AS BIG AS HUMAN BABY AND CHEW THROUGH
COCONUTS PHOTOGRAPHED FOR FIRST TIME
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Published Nov. 29, 2023, 2:51 p.m. ET
Ultra-rare giant rat that can chew through coconuts photographed for first time
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MORE ON: RATS
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A long-mythical type of rat that’s able to grow as large as a human baby and
with teeth big enough to chomp through coconuts has been photographed for the
very first time.
The critically endangered Uromys vika, one of the world’s rarest rodents, was
captured by cameras set up on the remote South Pacific island of Vangunu in the
Solomon Islands, according to the University of Melbourne.
The species was only discovered in 2017 when a single ginormous rat was seen —
but not photographed — on the island, which remains the only place it’s ever
been spotted.
That initial subject is thought to have fallen out of a tree and died, having
become the first new rodent species discovered in the Solomon Islands in more
than 80 years.
“For decades anthropologists and mammalogists alike were aware of” folklore
surrounding the giant rats, “but periodic efforts to scientifically identify and
document this species were fruitless,” noted lead study author Dr. Tyrone
Lavery.
His team was able to use camera traps filled with sesame oil to capture 95
images of four different Uromuys vikas – a male and three females, the
university said.
3
This is the first known photograph of the Uromys vika, one of the world’s rarest
rodents, in its natural habitat. Dr Tyrone Lavery/The University of Melbourne,
Dr Tyrone Lavery/The University of Melbourne
“Capturing images of the Vangunu giant rat for the first time is extremely
positive news for this poorly known species,” Lavery said.
The giant rat has a long tail, very short ears, and is at least twice the size
of a common rat — with adult animals able to grow to at least one-and-a-half
feet in length.
3
The elusive giant rat lives only on the Pacific island of Vangunu in the Solomon
Islands. Dr Tyrone Lavery
Locals say the hulking rodent, which builds its nests in trees on the
210-square-mile island, can crack green coconuts with its prominent teeth.
The Uromys vika is listed as critically endangered because its habitat is being
destroyed by logging.
3
The huge rodent uses its teeth to chew through coconuts. Getty
Images/iStockphoto
“This comes at a critical juncture for the future of Vangunu’s last forests –
which the community of Zaira have been fighting to protect from logging for 16
years,” said Lavery, of the University of Melbourne School of Biosciences.
14
What do you think? Post a comment.
If the logging continues, Lavery warned, “it will undoubtedly lead to [the]
extinction of the Vangunu giant rat.”
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* 11/29/23
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This is the first known photograph of the Uromys vika, one of the world's rarest
rodents, in its natural habitat. Dr Tyrone Lavery/The University of Melbourne,
Dr Tyrone Lavery/The University of Melbourne
The elusive giant rat lives only on the Pacific island of Vangunu in the Solomon
Islands. Dr Tyrone Lavery
The huge rodent uses its teeth to chew through coconuts. Getty
Images/iStockphoto
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