The collared tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys torquatus'') is a

tuco-tuco A tuco-tuco is a neotropical rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. Tuco-tucos belong to the only living genus of the family Ctenomyidae, ''Ctenomys'', but they include approximately 60 different species. The common name, "tuco-tuco", comes from the " ...

species from South America. It is found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina, where it lives underground in a burrow it digs in savannah habitats. It is a relatively common species and 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 ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

Description

The collared tuco-tuco is a short-tailed rodent with a total length of about , including a tail of . It varies considerably in colour across its range and between different members of the same population. The upper parts can be anything from mahogany brown to yellowish-brown, and the flanks and underparts are yellowish white. Most animals have a paler collar of yellowish-white and many have pale patches in the armpit and groin. The tail is dark brown above and below.

Distribution and habitat

The collared tuco-tuco is native to southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina, where it is found in the provinces of Entre Ríos and

Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It has ...

. Its typical habitat is high, dry

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

h country with sandy, rock-free soils. It does not inhabit cultivated land.

Ecology

Except during the breeding season, this animal is solitary. It lives in a burrow which is usually less than below the surface of the ground and may be several metres in length. Side passages are used for storing food. It is a herbivore and usually eats the whole plant on which it is feeding; it is diurnal and rather secretive, emerging only briefly from the entrance to its burrow to forage. Breeding takes place once a year between June and October. After a gestation period of about 105 days, a litter of two or three young is born underground.

Status

The collared tuco-tuco has a wide range and is presumed to have a large population. In Brazil it is threatened by increasing cultivation of its habitat, the planting of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

and ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

'' plantations, and the strip-mining of coal. No other particular threats have been identified and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collared Tuco-Tuco Tuco-tucos Mammals of Argentina Rodents of Brazil Mammals of Uruguay Mammals described in 1830 Taxa named by Hinrich Lichtenstein Least concern biota of South America