Emin's pouched rat (''Cricetomys emini''), also known as the African pouched rat, is a large

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...

of the

muroid The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent except ...

superfamily. It is related to ''Cricetomys gambianus'', the

Gambian pouched rat The Gambian pouched rat (''Cricetomys gambianus''), also Common name, commonly known as the African giant pouched rat, is a species of nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus ''Cricetomys'', in the Family (biology), family Nesomyidae ...

. Both species belong to '' Cricetomys'', the genus of the giant pouched rats. These animals were introduced into the

exotic pet An exotic pet is a pet which is relatively rare or unusual to keep, or is generally thought of as a Wild animal, wild species rather than as a Domesticated animal, domesticated pet. The definition varies by culture, location, and over time—as an ...

trade, but have been banned by the CDC and FDA after an outbreak of monkeypox. They are easily tamed.

Comparison to Gambian pouched rats

They are native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and are found along the edges of forests and along the plains. Emin's pouched rats are actually better climbers than their better known Gambian pouched rat cousins. These pouched rats are named for having cheek pouches much like a

hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian ...

. Emin's pouched rat and the Gambian pouched rat have a few very noticeable physical differences: *Emin's pouched rats have a distinct line of color difference between their lower

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

area and upper body. The abdomen is grey/white, whereas their upper body is dark brown. The tail has a white tip to it. Gambian pouched rats have a greyish-brown color that is fairly uniform throughout their body, only gradually getting lighter on their abdomen. *Emin's pouched rats are very sleek and muscular in appearance. They are quite slender-looking and are excellent climbers. Gambians are somewhat bulky, rough-looking, and have been reported to be less "arboreal" than the Emin's. *Emin's pouched rats tend to weigh less and be slightly smaller than Gambian pouched rats.

As pets

Both the Gambian pouched rat and Emin's pouched rat were introduced into the

trade. Unfortunately, many dealers and breeders failed to recognize the difference in the two species and some even tried breeding the two together. There have been reports of it being successful, and other reports of offspring dying at birth. Both species are sometimes kept as pets, but males can be territorial to others of the same species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q307235 Cricetomys Rodents of Africa Mammals described in 1910