Lesser cane rat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lesser cane rat
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Thryonomyidae
Genus:	Thryonomys
Species:	T. gregorianus
Binomial name
Thryonomys gregorianus (Thomas, 1894)
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The lesser cane rat (Thryonomys gregorianus) is a type of rodent, which is a group of mammals that includes rats, mice, and squirrels. This animal lives in parts of Africa. You can find it in countries like Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It might also live in Mozambique.

These rats like to live in places with lots of plants. Their homes are often dry shrublands, open grasslands, and wetlands that have many shrubs.

What the Lesser Cane Rat Looks Like

The lesser cane rat is a medium-sized rodent. It usually grows to be about 38 centimetres (15 in) long. About a quarter of its total length is its tail. Male lesser cane rats are generally bigger than females.

These animals weigh between 1.4 to 2.4 kg (3.1 to 5.3 lb) for males and 1.8 to 1.9 kg (4.0 to 4.2 lb) for females. They are smaller than their relatives, the greater cane rat. However, some large male lesser cane rats can weigh up to 3.5 to 5 kg (7.7 to 11.0 lb).

Their fur is rough and feels like bristles. It lies flat against their body. They have small ears that are almost hidden by their fur. Their feet are long and have three strong toes with claws. The top and sides of their body are yellowish-brown or greyish-brown. Their belly is a lighter greyish-white color. The tail has a few bristles and scales, and it is brown on top and white underneath.

Where They Live and Their Home

The lesser cane rat lives in Central and East Africa, and also in the northern parts of Southern Africa. You can find them mainly in southern Sudan, all of Uganda, western Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. They also appear sometimes in nearby countries.

They prefer open areas with grass, the edges of marshy lands, and woodlands. They have been seen living as high as 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) above sea level in the Rwenzori Mountains. The lesser cane rat often shares its home range with the greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus). However, the greater cane rat usually prefers areas closer to water, like river banks and lakesides.

How Lesser Cane Rats Behave

Lesser cane rats are mostly active at night. They usually move around by themselves. Sometimes, you might see them living in small family groups. Even though they don't see very well, they have excellent hearing.

They talk to each other using grunts and whistles. They might also stamp their feet on the ground to warn others if there is danger nearby. These rats are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. Their diet includes grasses, seeds, grains, fruits, and other plant parts. A common food for them is elephant grass. They are also very good at finding food and will eat crops like peanuts, maize (corn), sweet potatoes, cassava, and pumpkins.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

The lesser cane rat usually has its babies during the rainy season. They can have two litters of young in a year. The mother carries her babies for about three months before they are born. A typical litter has two or three young rats.

The babies are born quite developed and can move around soon after they are born. They hide in nests built in the grass. The mother visits them regularly to feed them milk. Lesser cane rats become old enough to have their own babies when they are about one year old. They usually live for about three years.

Status of the Lesser Cane Rat

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the lesser cane rat as a species of "Least Concern" on its Red List of Threatened Species. This means that scientists are not worried about them becoming extinct right now.

Even though we don't know exactly how many lesser cane rats there are or if their numbers are changing, they are a fairly common animal. They do not face any major threats that could harm their population. In some areas where they live, people hunt them for bushmeat (meat from wild animals).