Maclear's rat

Maclear's rat, Rattus macleari, is an extinct large rat that was endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, where it was one of two native rat species alongside the bulldog rat. It is also called the Christmas Island rat. Members of the 1886 Challenger expedition found the rats abundant and unafraid of humans, entering tents and shelters at night in search of food. The last recorded sighting was in 1903. Black rats inadvertently introduced by the expedition may have infected it with a disease, possibly a trypanosome, which could have contributed to its decline. It was grizzled brown above and lighter below, with a scaly white distal half of the tail, and it was named after Captain John Maclear, who collected the specimen. Oldfield Thomas described it in 1887. A DNA study found it to be the sister species of Hainald's rat of Flores.