Sloggett's vlei rat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sloggett's vlei rat |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Myotomys |
| Species: |
M. sloggetti
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| Binomial name | |
| Myotomys sloggetti (Thomas, 1902)
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| Synonyms | |
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Otomys sloggetti |
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Sloggett's vlei rat, also called the ice rat (Myotomys sloggetti), is a type of rodent in the family Muridae. It lives in southern Lesotho and South Africa. Its natural habitats include high-altitude grassland, swamps, and rocky areas. The rat is named after Colonel Arthur Sloggett, who worked in South Africa and collected animals in 1902. This is a common species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says it is of "least concern", meaning it is not currently at risk of disappearing.
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What Sloggett's Vlei Rats Look Like
This rat is a medium-sized animal. It has thick, soft, and fine fur. Its head is quite large, and its nose is blunt. The skin around its whiskers is reddish-brown. This special color helps tell it apart from other rats in the Otomys group.
Its ears are small and have dark edges. The fur on its upper body is a greyish-buff color. Its sides are greyish-brown. The fur on its belly is a buffy white. The tail is short, about half the length of its head and body. It has two colors: black on top and buff underneath.
Where Sloggett's Vlei Rats Live
Sloggett's vlei rat lives only in southern Africa. You can find it in southern Lesotho and parts of South Africa. This includes the Eastern Cape and western KwaZulu-Natal.
These rats like to live in rocky places. They also live in alpine grasslands, which can be wet or dry. They are found at very high altitudes, usually above 2,600 meters (8,500 feet).
How Sloggett's Vlei Rats Live
In places where they like to live, these rodents are very common. More than 100 rats can live in one hectare (about 2.5 acres). They live in burrows, which are tunnels underground. They come out during the day to find food and warm themselves in the sun on rocks.
Their diet is made of leaves, flowers, and stems from green plants. In summer, they eat their food right where they find it. But in winter, they usually take their food back to their burrow to eat. They also store some food inside their burrow.
Their burrows are complex, with many tunnels and rooms. Usually, a pair of rats or a family group lives in one burrow. Only one female in the group will have babies. Outside the burrow, they protect their space. But inside, they huddle together to stay warm. They are active all year, but they spend more time underground in winter.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
A burrow can have up to twelve entrances. The rats leave their droppings next to these entrances. Breeding happens in late summer. A mother rat usually has about 2 or 3 young ones at a time. The babies grow inside the mother for about 38 days.
The young rats have special ways to deal with the very cold winter. Their bodies, ears, legs, and tails are shorter than those of other rats, like the southern African vlei rat. This helps them lose less heat. Also, they drink their mother's milk for a long time. This lets them stay underground until they are older and stronger.
 | Jessica Watkins |
 | Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. |
 | Mae Jemison |
 | Sian Proctor |
 | Guion Bluford |
