Pocock's highland rat (''Rattus pococki'') is a species of rat of 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 come ...

. It is native to New Guinea.

Description

Pocock's highland rat was first described by Sir John Ellerman, 2nd Baronet in 1941. It was named for

Reginald Innes Pocock Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. (4 March 1863 – 9 August 1947) was a British zoologist. Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward ...

, a zoologist who worked at the Natural History Museum, London from 1885 to 1904, and then as the superintendent of the Zoological Garden in London until 1923. In closely related to ''

Rattus niobe The moss-forest rat (''Rattus niobe'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Names It is known as katgn in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; ...

''. In 2005 Musser and Carleton provisionally recognized it as a separate species on the grounds that it is larger in size and has slightly darker fur. It is also similar to '' Rattus arrogans'' but distinguished by its smaller size and darker fur. They stated that further study need to be done on the relationship to ''R. niobe''.

Distribution

The species is native to the Central Cordillera region of

Papua Province Papua is a province of Indonesia, comprising the northern coast of Western New Guinea together with island groups in Cenderawasih Bay to the west. It roughly follows the borders of Papuan customary region of Tabi Saireri. It is bordered by the ...

, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is found in the mountain tropical forests between 1500 and 2500 m. It is listed on

IUCN 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 natu ...

as least concern as its wide distribution suggests an abundant population. It also has no major threats leading to a decline in numbers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pocock's Highland Rat Rattus Mammals described in 1941 Mammals of Indonesia Mammals of Papua New Guinea Rodents of New Guinea