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- Beamys hindei Thomas, 1909
Beamys hindei Thomas, 1909
Order: Rodentia > Family: Nesomyidae > Genus: Beamys > Species: Beamys hindei Thomas, 1909
Common Name: Long-tailed Pouched Rat [English]
Type Description
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 4:108.
Type Locality
Kenya, Coast Prov., Taveta.
Measurements
Total length: 184-311 mm
Head and body: 130-187 mm
Tail length: 100-155 mm
Hindfoot length: 20-26 mm
Ear length: 18-26 mm
Weight: 55-150 g
Head and body: 130-187 mm
Tail length: 100-155 mm
Hindfoot length: 20-26 mm
Ear length: 18-26 mm
Weight: 55-150 g
Description
This large rodent is very hard to mistake. It has a bright white belly, gray dorsal fur and a tail that is mottled black and white with the tip being all white. While not visible externally, Beamys, like its relatives, Cricetomys and Saccostomus has cheek pouches, in which food is stored while foraging. The skull is characteristic in having very short and narrow palatal foramina.
Comparisons
The only other rodent that has a mottled tail like Beamy is Cricetomys, which is very much larger.
Distribution
Found in the southern forests of East Africa, Beamys hindei prefers sandy riverbanks in forests, thickets or moist, dense woodlands in altitudes up to 2,100 m from the Kenyan coast into Tanzania and Malawi. (Kingdon, 1984, 1997) In Tanzania, this species is known from coastal forests and mountains of the Eastern Arc and Mt. Rungwe.
Key References
1. Kingdon, J. 1984. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Hares and Rodents). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2B:547-549.
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 199.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1344-1346, 1493.
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 199.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1344-1346, 1493.