Big-eared swamp rat

The big-eared swamp rat (Malacomys longipes) is a rodent in the family Muridae found across sub-Saharan Africa from Nigeria to Kenya and south to Zambia and Angola. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, including muddy ground close to streams and swamps. Handbook accounts call it the common swamp rat. It is a medium-sized, slender rodent with long hind feet, large ears, a very long thin tail and soft, velvety fur that is brown above and pale grey below, weighing roughly 94 to 120 grams. It is nocturnal, terrestrial and a good swimmer, and rests by day in holes along riverbanks. It eats plant matter and invertebrates such as insects, slugs and earthworms. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.