Páramo colilargo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Páramo colilargo |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Microryzomys |
| Species: |
M. altissimus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Microryzomys altissimus (Osgood, 1933)
|
|
| Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist. | |
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The Páramo colilargo (also called the highland small rice rat) is a type of rodent. Its scientific name is Microryzomys altissimus. This small rat lives in the high mountains of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Scientists are still studying if the rats in Colombia are a slightly different species.
What Does the Páramo Colilargo Look Like?
This small rat has a greyish head. Its back is a light brownish-yellow color. Its belly is a mix of grey and light brownish-yellow. There is a clear line where the color changes from its back to its belly.
The Páramo colilargo's tail is dark on top and lighter underneath. It is usually shorter than 110 mm (4.3 in). Its feet have whitish hairs on the top. The pads on the soles of its feet are narrow.
Compared to its close relative, the Microryzomys minutus, the Páramo colilargo has a wider and stronger skull. It also has longer openings in its skull called incisive foramina. Its teeth rows are also longer.
Where Does the Páramo Colilargo Live?
This rodent lives in South America. You can find it high up in the Andes mountains. It lives in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. It can be found at heights between 2,500 and 4,000 m (8,200 and 13,100 ft).
Its home includes the Cordillera Central in Colombia. There is a separate group of these rats there. Its range also goes through the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Oriental in Ecuador. It reaches as far south as Junin in northern Peru.
The Páramo colilargo prefers moist subalpine forests. It also lives in the páramo, which is a high-altitude grassland.
What is the Páramo Colilargo's Conservation Status?
The group of Páramo colilargos in Colombia might be a separate species. If so, scientists would need to check their conservation status separately. However, the main group in Ecuador and Peru is quite large.
Sometimes, these rats face threats like deforestation. This happens when forests are cut down. Their páramo habitat is also sometimes changed for farming. Even with these threats, the Páramo colilargo is common in many places. It lives across a wide area. It is also found in several protected natural areas. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says it is a "least concern" animal. This means it is not currently at high risk of disappearing.
 | Audre Lorde |
 | John Berry Meachum |
 | Ferdinand Lee Barnett |
