Ziegler's water rat

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Ziegler's Water Rat
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Hydromys
Species: H. ziegleri
Binomial name
Hydromys ziegleri
Helgen, 2005

Ziegler's Water Rat (Hydromys ziegleri) discovered in the mid-2000s by science, is a species of rodent native to the mountains Papua New Guinea of which little is known.[1]

Research and history

It was discovered in 2005 by K. Helgen,[2] and later was assessed by Helgen, and A. Allison in 2008.[1] The water rat was named in honor of the deceased Dr. Alan C. Ziegler from the Bishop Museum.[2] It has been rated as data deficient for the purposes of the IUCN redlist due to the fact that insufficient is know about the creature's population range, threats, and numbers.[1] Only two specimens have ever been recorded by scientists.[1] The water rat may be threatened by logging of its forest habitat but more research is needed to codify this theory.[1] It is also believed it may inhabit the northern slopes of its mountain home but study is needed to determine this as fact.[1]

Habitat

This species inhabits both terrestrial and freshwater systems. This includes forests, subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests, inland wetlands, permanent watercourses, and artificial terrestrial areas.[1] The animal has only been recorded in Bainyik, located on the south slopes of the Princess Alexandra mountains at an elevation of 200 meters (650 feet).[1] The rat has been found to live in creeks and rivers in low lying tropical rain forests but it may also live in higher elevations.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Helgen, K. & Allison, A. (2008). "Hydromys ziegleri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 06 November 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dictionary of Australian and New Guinean mammals, Ronald Strahan, Pamela Conder, 2007, access date 06-11-2011.

External links

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