Charada Vlei Rat
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Charada vlei rat (''Otomys fortior'') is a species of
rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...
in the family of
Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...
. It is endemic to southwestern
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
.


Taxonomy

Thomas (1906) initially described this species under the name ''Otomys typus fortior''. It was then elevated to species status by Dollmann (1915). It was again re-included under ''O. typus'' (
Ethiopian vlei rat The Ethiopian vlei rat (''Otomys typus'') is a species of Otomys, vlei rat in the rodent family Muridae. It is found only in Ethiopia and is considered endemic. Taxonomy Heuglin (1877) initially described the species under the name ''Oreomys ...
) in the classification by Allen in 1939. Taylor et al. (2011) would be moved back ''Otomys fortior'' to species status, arguing that the biogeographical and ecological separation of the species from the other members of the genus in the region was sufficient.


Conservation

It is known from less than 10 locations in Ethiopia and its population is suggested to be declining as well as its habitat, hence the assessment of the species as " Vulnerable" by the
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
.


References

Mammals of Ethiopia Mammals described in 1906 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas {{Muridae-stub