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''Holochilus brasiliensis'', also known as the Brazilian marsh ratMusser, G.G. and Carleton, M.D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894–1531 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.)
Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed
Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp.
or web-footed marsh rat, is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
semiaquatic In biology, semiaquatic can refer to various types of animals that spend part of their time in water, or plants that naturally grow partially submerged in water. Examples are given below. Semiaquatic animals Semiaquatic animals include: * Verte ...
rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are nat ...
from South America. It is found in northeastern
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, southern and eastern Brazil and in eastern
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.


Description

This is a medium sized species compared with other members of the genus; the head-and-body length is between and the tail length is between . The fur is luxuriant and dense. The dorsal colour is cinnamon, the flanks are a brighter orange and the underparts a paler orange, apart from a white throat and chest and some white in the unguinal area.


Distribution and habitat

''H. brasiliensis'' is semiaquatic and occurs in eastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina in the Atlantic Forest Ecoregion. It is typically found in swampy grassland and woodland areas bordering rivers in the rainforest, both on the coastal plain and inland.


Ecology

A nocturnal species, ''H. brasiliensis'' moves freely on land and in the water. It is seldom caught in live traps but is frequently caught by
barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...
s and mammalian carnivores. It feeds on tender shoots and mostly breeds after rains in spring and summer, with litters of three to six young having been recorded. It can be a pest in
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
and
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domesticated, ...
crops.


Status

The
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...
has assessed this species as being of "
least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
". This is because it has a wide range, is able to adapt to modified habitats, is present in a number of reserves and other protected areas, and the population is large and seems stable.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1762363 Holochilus Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Uruguay Mammals described in 1819 Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest