The West African shaggy rat (Dasymys rufulus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is a stocky, medium-sized rat with soft, dense, shaggy fur, small dark eyes and small rounded ears, both of which are often hidden in the fur. The upper parts are brown to greyish-brown with a reddish tinge, the underparts are paler, and there is no sharp line between the two. The tail is about as long as the head and body and is ringed with small scales and sparse short bristles. The head-and-body length averages 145 mm and the weight averages 78 g. The species lives in tropical West Africa, in a range that takes in Senegal, Mali, Nigeria and Cameroon among other countries, and it inhabits wetlands and swampy areas, streams, riverbanks, lakesides, young oil-palm plantations and rice fields. It is terrestrial, nocturnal and a good swimmer, living in a shallow burrow whose entrance is often hidden under a grass tussock. It feeds on grasses, leaves and other plant material, and its breeding habits are unknown. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it as a common species of least concern.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Conservation Status Activity Pattern Connections
Child Taxon Of
Muridae, Taxa Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Sources
1. West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
Lead
It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Ecology
It feeds on grasses, leaves and other plant material.
Ecology, system
The West African shaggy rat is a terrestrial species.
Ecology, activity pattern
It is nocturnal and a good swimmer.
Lead, range
It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
In Group: Rodents And Lagomorphs, Lead, rodent group
is a species of rodent in the family Muridae
In Biome: Wetlands, Distribution and habitat
It inhabits wetlands and swampy areas, streams, riverbanks, lakesides, young oil-palm plantations and rice fields.
In Biome: Flooded Grassland and Savanna, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps.
View the Source2. Mammal Diversity Database: Dasymys rufulus (Mammal Diversity Database)
Mammal Diversity DatabaseSpecies statusQuote, Species status
Living
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