Maclear's Rat
Encyclopedia
The Maclear's Rat was a large rat
which lived on Christmas Island
in the Indian Ocean
. Abundant, unfamiliar with and seemingly unafraid of humans, large numbers of the creatures emerged and foraged in all directions at night. Making querulous squeaks, the rats entered the Challenger Expedition
's tent
s and shelters, ran over sleepers, and upset everything in the search and fight for food. Maclear's rat may have been responsible for keeping the Christmas Island red crab
's population in check, as recent numbers of the crab are greater than in the past. It is thought that Black rat
s inadvertently introduced by the expedition infected the Maclear's Rats with a disease (possibly a Trypanosome
), which in turn may have contributed to the species decline. The last recorded sighting was in 1903, although it is possible that Maclear's Rats formed hybrids with black rats. A hard tick Ixodes nitens described as an ectoparasite of Maclear's Rat is also thought to be extinct.
Said to be related to Rattus xanthourus of Sulawesi and R. everetti of the Philippines, this species was grizzled brown above and lighter on the underside. The lower back had prominent long and black hairs that projected above the shorter fur. The base of the tail is dark while the distal half is scaly white.
The rat is named after Captain John Maclear
(1838 - 1907) of the British survey-ship Flying-fish who collected the specimen from Christmas Island in 1886 and described as a new species by Oldfield Thomas the next year although it was originally described under the genus Mus. Maclear was later commander on HMS Challenger
for the Challenger Expedition
of 1872-1876 under its commission captain, Sir George Nares
.
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
which lived on Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Abundant, unfamiliar with and seemingly unafraid of humans, large numbers of the creatures emerged and foraged in all directions at night. Making querulous squeaks, the rats entered the Challenger Expedition
Challenger expedition
The Challenger expedition of 1872–76 was a scientific exercise that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger....
's tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s and shelters, ran over sleepers, and upset everything in the search and fight for food. Maclear's rat may have been responsible for keeping the Christmas Island red crab
Christmas Island red crab
The Christmas Island red crab, Gecarcoidea natalis, is a species of land crab that is endemic to Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean...
's population in check, as recent numbers of the crab are greater than in the past. It is thought that Black rat
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s inadvertently introduced by the expedition infected the Maclear's Rats with a disease (possibly a Trypanosome
Trypanosome
Trypanosomatids are a group of kinetoplastid protozoa distinguished by having only a single flagellum. The name is derived from the Greek trypano and soma because of the corkscrew-like motion of some trypanosomatid species. All members are exclusively parasitic, found primarily in insects...
), which in turn may have contributed to the species decline. The last recorded sighting was in 1903, although it is possible that Maclear's Rats formed hybrids with black rats. A hard tick Ixodes nitens described as an ectoparasite of Maclear's Rat is also thought to be extinct.
Said to be related to Rattus xanthourus of Sulawesi and R. everetti of the Philippines, this species was grizzled brown above and lighter on the underside. The lower back had prominent long and black hairs that projected above the shorter fur. The base of the tail is dark while the distal half is scaly white.
The rat is named after Captain John Maclear
John Maclear
John Fiot Lee Pearse Maclear was an Admiral in the Royal Navy, known for his leadership in hydrography....
(1838 - 1907) of the British survey-ship Flying-fish who collected the specimen from Christmas Island in 1886 and described as a new species by Oldfield Thomas the next year although it was originally described under the genus Mus. Maclear was later commander on HMS Challenger
HMS Challenger (1858)
HMS Challenger was a steam-assisted Royal Navy Pearl-class corvette launched on 13 February 1858 at the Woolwich Dockyard. She was the flagship of the Australia Station between 1866 and 1870....
for the Challenger Expedition
Challenger expedition
The Challenger expedition of 1872–76 was a scientific exercise that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger....
of 1872-1876 under its commission captain, Sir George Nares
George Nares
Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares KCB FRS was a British naval officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded both the Challenger Expedition and the British Arctic Expedition, and was highly thought of a leader and a scientific explorer...
.