Mount Kilimanjaro vlei rat (''Otomys zinki'') 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

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 found in north-eastern

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Taxonomy

Bohmann (1943) initially described this species as ''Otomys typus zinki''. It was kept under ''Otomys 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 ...

) by Bohmann in 1952 and moved under ''Otomys orestes'' ( Afroalpine vlei rat) in the classification of Musser and Carleton (2005). However, this species was considered to be distinct by Taylor et al. (2011).

Threats

It is known from only 1 location in Tanzania (Mt. Kilimanjaro). Although it occurs in a protected area, threats such as fires, climate change and habitat loss could lead the species to extinction in a short timespan.

References

Mammals described in 1943 Mammals of Tanzania Otomys {{Muridae-stub