Tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Echimyidae |
| Subfamily: | Echimyinae |
| Tribe: | Echimyini |
| Genus: | Lonchothrix Thomas, 1920 |
| Species: |
L. emiliae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lonchothrix emiliae Thomas, 1920
|
|
| Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist. | |
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The tuft-tailed spiny tree rat (Lonchothrix emiliae) is a type of spiny rat. It lives in Brazil, south of the huge Amazon River. You can find it in grassland areas and special forests called gallery forests, which grow along rivers. This rat is the only species in its group, called the genus Lonchothrix.
Not much is known about this small rodent. An adult tuft-tailed spiny tree rat usually weighs about 138 grams, which is less than a can of soda! It is a nocturnal animal, meaning it is active at night. It also lives a solitary life, preferring to be alone rather than in groups.
About the Tuft-tailed Spiny Tree Rat
This unique rat was first described by a scientist named Oldfield Thomas in 1920. He gave it its scientific name, Lonchothrix emiliae.
What's in a Name?
The name Lonchothrix comes from two very old ancient greek words. The first part, λόγχη (pronounced "lonkhee"), means "spear." The second part, θρίξ (pronounced "thrix"), means "hair." So, its name basically means "spear-hair," probably because of its spiny fur!
Family Tree and Relatives
The tuft-tailed spiny tree rat, Lonchothrix, belongs to a group of arboreal (tree-dwelling) spiny rodents called Echimyini. These rodents are part of the larger Echimyidae family.
Its closest relative is another group of rats called Mesomys. This shows that they were once thought to be even more closely related. Scientists figure out these family connections by looking at the animals' DNA, which is like their genetic blueprint.
The Lonchothrix and Mesomys groups are related to several other interesting rodents. These include:
- Echimys, Phyllomys, Makalata, Pattonomys, and Toromys.
- The "bamboo rats" like Dactylomys, Olallamys, and Kannabateomys, along with Diplomys and Santamartamys.
- And finally, Isothrix.
| Genus-level cladogram of the Echimyini. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This family tree shows how different groups of Echimyini rodents are related. Scientists figured this out by studying their DNA. |
 | George Robert Carruthers |
 | Patricia Bath |
 | Jan Ernst Matzeliger |
 | Alexander Miles |
