Sloggett's vlei rat

Sloggett's vlei rat, also known as the ice rat, is a medium-sized rodent of the family Muridae, scientifically named Myotomys sloggetti and sometimes placed in the genus Otomys. It is endemic to southern Africa, living in southern Lesotho and in South Africa's Eastern Cape and the western parts of KwaZulu-Natal, in rocky habitats and in wet and dry alpine grassland, usually above 2,600 metres. The animal has thick, soft, fine fur that is greyish buff above and buffy white below, a blunt snout, small dark-edged ears and a short bicoloured tail about half the length of the head and body. Reddish brown skin around the whiskers separates it from other members of its genus. It shelters in burrows with many entrances and tunnels, forages by day for the leaves, flowers and stems of green plants, and its young show adaptations to winter cold. The name commemorates Colonel Arthur Sloggett, and the species is rated Least Concern.