Chinese bamboo rat


The Chinese bamboo rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in southern China, southern Myanmar, and northern Vietnam. Its habitat is bamboo thickets usually at high elevations, pine forests, and plantations.

Description

The head and body length is with a tail of and the weight is. The fur is soft with no guard hairs as are seen in the closely related hoary bamboo rat. On the side of the face and the crown the fur is dark greyish brown and on the body paler greyish brown. The under parts are scantily haired.

Behaviour

The Chinese bamboo rat is solitary, except during the breeding season. It breeds all year round, with a spring peak; litters of two to four young are born naked, and are weaned at three months. Territory is marked by four to seven soil mounds marking plugged entrances. Burrows are 20 to 30 cm deep and up to 45 m long. Escape tunnel are always at the ready, loosely plugged with soil. The nest chamber is 20 to 25 cm across and is lined with bamboo leaves. Mostly, it feeds on bamboo shoots and roots, usually on the surface, and moves on after about a year as the food supply becomes depleted. Predators include the snow leopard and the red panda.

Status

The Chinese bamboo rat has a very wide range, is common in some localities, is considered a plantation pest in parts of China, and is presumed to have a large total population. The main threat it faces is being hunted by humans for food. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being of "least concern".