Northern water rat

The northern water rat, Paraleptomys rufilatus, is a rodent of the family Muridae that lives in the highlands of New Guinea and is described as an endangered species. It belongs to the genus Paraleptomys and is the larger of the two species in that genus, the other being P. wilhelmina. It is found at roughly 1,200 to 1,800 metres above sea level, with records from Mount Dafonsero in the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia, Mount Somoro in the Torricelli Mountains of Papua New Guinea and Mount Benawa in the Bewani Mountains, also in Papua New Guinea. Its range is small and fragmented and the animal is probably quite rare. It is less uniform in colour than P. wilhelmina, with a white throat and orange-like flanks. Head and body measure 118 to 135 millimetres, the tail 127 to 146 millimetres, and adults weigh 54 to 58 grams. The Olo people of Mount Somoro in Sandaun Province call it timbri.