Western white-eared giant rat

The western white-eared giant rat (Hyomys dammermani) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, described by Georg Stein in 1933. It lives on the island of New Guinea, in West Papua, Indonesia and in Papua New Guinea. Mammal Species of the World traces its range from the Vogelkop region and the Arfak Mountains through the Weyland Range and the Snow Mountains and along the Central Cordillera to the Schrader Range and the Mount Hagen region, and expects the related giant rat Hyomys goliath to replace it farther east. The type specimen came from Mount Kunupi in the Weyland Range. The animal was first described as a subspecies of Hyomys meeki, a name now treated as a synonym of Hyomys goliath. The same reference calls it a small-bodied species with only traces of white wisps about the ears, which explains the common name. The IUCN Red List places it in the Data Deficient category.