Muennink's Spiny Rat
Encyclopedia
Muennink's Spiny Rat is a species of rodent
in the family Muridae
.
It is found only in Okinawa Island
, Japan
.
Its natural habitat
is temperate forest
s.
In March 2008, the first wild specimen in over 30 years was caught in the northern part of Okinawa island.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the family Muridae
Muridae
Muridae is the largest family of mammals. It contains over 600 species found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They have been introduced worldwide. The group includes true mice and rats, gerbils, and relatives....
.
It is found only in Okinawa Island
Okinawa Island
Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is temperate forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s.
In March 2008, the first wild specimen in over 30 years was caught in the northern part of Okinawa island.
Further reading
- Ishii, N. 2000. Tokudaia muenninki. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 July 2007.