Subalpine woolly rat

The subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap) is an extremely large giant rat of the family Muridae that lives in the high mountains of New Guinea, in West Papua, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It occurs along the Central Cordillera from Mount Victoria in the Owen Stanley Range to the Bele River region of the Snow Mountains, in upper montane forest, subalpine herb field and grassland at about 2,450 to 3,850 metres, where it lives alongside Rothschild's woolly rat and De Vis's woolly rat. The head and body measure about 399 to 432 millimetres and the tail 279 to 366 millimetres. The coat is long, dense and woolly, brownish gray black above and pure white below. It is probably nocturnal and terrestrial, nests in burrows in moss mounds, and probably feeds on ferns and grasses. A single fully furred young was captured in December. It is classed as Least Concern and probably occurs in Lorentz National Park.