Maclear's Rat
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| Maclear's Rat | ||||||||||||||||
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| Rattus macleari (Thomas, 1887) |
The Maclear's Rat (Rattus macleari) was a large rat which lived on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. It was abundant, with numbers running in all directions at night. It made querulous squeaks and there were frequent fights. The rats entered tents and shelters, ran over sleepers and upset everything when they searched for food. They may have kept the Christmas Island red crabs in check. Introduced black rats infected the Maclear's Rats with a disease, so they often crawled about during the day. The last record was in 1903, although it is possible that Maclear's Rats formed hybrids with black rats.
It is named after captain (later admiral) John Maclear (1838 - 1907), commander on the HMS Challenger 1872-1876.
[edit] References
- Baillie (1996). Rattus macleari. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 08 May 2006.
- Flannery, Tim & Schouten, Peter (2001). A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals. Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. ISBN 0-87113-797-6.
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