Zyzomys
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
| Zyzomys Temporal range: Pleistocene? - Recent
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| The Central Rock Rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) | |
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Zyzomys
Thomas, 1909
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Zyzomys argurus |
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Zyzomys is a genus of rodents with unusually thick, long tails. Five species of the genus are known in Australia, where they are called rock rats or thick-tailed rats. They were discovered by Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas in 1909.
Taxonomy
There are five known species of rock-rat. The Central Rock Rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) was once believed to be extinct until rediscovered in 1996.
- Silver-Tailed Rock Rat, Zyzomys argurus
- Arnhem Land Rock Rat, Zyzomys maini
- Carpentarian Rock Rat, Zyzomys palatilis
- Central Rock Rat, Zyzomys pedunculatus
- Kimberley Rock Rat, Zyzomys woodwardi
References
- Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
