Short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat

The short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat, also called the short-tailed Talaud melomys, Melomys caurinus, is a rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands of Indonesia, where it occurs in forest habitats. Its source article contrasts it with the long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat, Melomys talaudium, which shares the islands: the shorter tail of this species suggests it is mainly terrestrial, whereas the long-tailed species is largely arboreal. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as endangered because its population is thought to be decreasing, the natural forest on the islands is progressively being cleared, and its total area of occurrence is around 1,000 square kilometres.