Simien vlei rat

The Simien vlei rat, Otomys simiensis, is a rodent in the family Muridae and the genus Otomys, whose members are called vlei rats. It was described in 2011 by Taylor, Lavrenchenko, Carleton, Verheyen, Bennett, Oosthuizen and Maree, which makes it one of the more recently named members of its genus. It is found in northern Ethiopia and is known from fewer than ten locations. Although that range is small, the species is thought to occur in at least one protected area, and that was the reasoning behind its assessment as Least Concern by the IUCN. The sources consulted do not describe its diet, habits or lifespan, so those facts are not stated here.