Sulawesi montane rat

The Sulawesi montane rat (Taeromys hamatus) is a rodent of the family Muridae found only in the central mountains of Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is known from Mount Lehio, Mount Kanino and Mount Nokilalaki and from a few other montane localities between about 1,280 and 2,287 metres. It lives in lower and upper montane rainforest and is absent from lowland evergreen rainforest. It is a small to medium-sized rat, with a head and body of about 180 to 213 millimetres, a tail nearly as long as the body, and a weight of 145 to 220 grams. The fur is soft and dense, dark gray speckled with buff above and buffy gray below, and the tail is black on its basal half and white on the distal half. It is terrestrial and nocturnal and eats fruit. Its closest relative is Taeromys taerae of the north-eastern peninsula, and the species is probably threatened by deforestation from logging and agricultural expansion, although it occurs in Lore Lindu National Park.