The little soft-furred rat (''Rattus mollicomulus'') is a species of

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 n ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae comes ...

. It is found only on the upper slopes of Mount Lampobattang in

Bantaeng Regency Bantaeng Regency (''Kabupaten Bantaeng''; ) is a regency of South Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 395.83 km2 and had a population of 176,984 at the 2010 Census, rising to 196,716 at the 2020 Census. The official estimate as a ...

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sul ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

. It gets its name from its soft, silky fur. It is smaller than a

roof rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

, but larger than a

house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus ''Mus''. Although ...

References

Rattus Rodents of Sulawesi Mammals described in 1935 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by George Henry Hamilton Tate {{Rattus-stub