Maclear's rat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maclear's rat |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rattus
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| Species: |
macleari
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| Synonyms | |
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Mus macleari Thomas, 1887 |
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Maclear's rat (Rattus macleari) was a large rat that lived only on Christmas Island. This island is in the Indian Ocean. It was one of two types of rats native to Christmas Island. The other was the bulldog rat.
These rats were very common. They were not afraid of humans at all. Large groups of them would come out at night to find food. They made small, complaining squeaks. In 1886, during the Challenger Expedition, the rats even went into people's tents. They ran over sleeping people and messed up things while looking for food. Maclear's rat might have helped control the number of Christmas Island red crabs. Today, there are many more crabs than in the past.
Scientists think that black rats brought by the expedition gave Maclear's rats a disease. This disease might have been a type of parasite. This sickness likely caused the Maclear's rat population to drop quickly. The last time anyone saw a Maclear's rat was in 1903. It's also possible that Maclear's rats bred with the black rats. A type of tick, called Ixodes nitens, lived on Maclear's rats. This tick is also thought to be extinct now.
About Maclear's Rat
Maclear's rat was thought to be related to other rats from Sulawesi and the Philippines. Its fur was a mix of brown and gray on top. Its belly was lighter in color. The lower part of its back had long, black hairs that stuck out over its shorter fur. The base of its tail was dark. The outer half of its tail was white and scaly.
How It Got Its Name
This rat is named after Captain John Maclear. He was a captain of a British survey ship called HMS Flying-Fish. Captain Maclear collected the first sample of this rat from Christmas Island in 1886.
The next year, a scientist named Oldfield Thomas described it as a new species. At first, he put it in the genus Mus, which includes mice. Captain Maclear had also been a commander on HMS Challenger. This was during the Challenger Expedition from 1872 to 1876.
See also
In Spanish: Rata de Maclear para niños
