The Ethiopian vlei rat (''Otomys typus'') is a species of

vlei rat African vlei rats (''Otomys''), also known as groove-toothed rats, live in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Most species live in marshlands, grasslands, and similar habitats and feed on the vegetation of such areas, occasionally supplementing ...

in the rodent 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 only in

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 ...

and is considered endemic.

Taxonomy

Heuglin (1877) initially described the species under the name ''Oreomys typus''. This species classification and that of the genus ''Otomys'' varied extremely throughout the years. Taylor et al. (2011) revised the history of this species and part of the genus in itself. ''Otomys typus'' previously contained, as subspecies or synonyms, numerous current-day species, such as: * ''Otomys fortior'' - Charada vlei rat (as a subspecies and later as a synonym) * ''Otomys darmouthi'' -

Ruwenzori vlei rat The Ruwenzori vlei rat (''Otomys dartmouthi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is do ...

(as a subspecies) * ''Otomys helleri'' - Heller's vlei rat (as a subspecies and later as a synonym) * ''Otomys jacksoni'' -

Mount Elgon vlei rat The Mount Elgon vlei rat (''Otomys jacksoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on the border between west-central Kenya and south-eastern Uganda. As of 2021, it is considered near th ...

(as a subspecies) * ''Otomys orestes'' -

Afroalpine vlei rat The afroalpine vlei rat (''Otomys orestes'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in the high moorlands of Kenya.Carleton, M.D, and E.S. Schaefer. 2006. The status of ''Otomys orestes dollmani'' Heller, 1912 (Muridae: Otomyin ...

(as a subspecies) * ''Otomys thomasi'' -

Thomas's vlei rat Thomas's vlei rat (''Otomys thomasi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Kenya's high plateau mountains of the Rift Valley. Taxonomy Osgood (1910) initially described this species as ''Otomys thomasi''. In 2006, it ...

(as a subspecies and later as a synonym of ''O. orestes'') * ''Otomys uzungwensis'' -

Uzungwe vlei rat The Uzungwe vlei rat (''Otomys uzungwensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and swamps. It is threatened by habi ...

(as a subspecies) * ''Otomys zinki'' -

Mount Kilimanjaro vlei rat Mount Kilimanjaro vlei rat (''Otomys zinki'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in north-eastern Tanzania, on Mount Kilimanjaro. Taxonomy Bohmann (1943) initially described this species as ''Otomys typus zinki''. It was ...

(as a subspecies and later as a synonym of ''O. orestes''). Furthermore, the 2011 revision of this species-group distinguished four species inside ''O. typus'' and in Ethiopia: * ''Otomys typus'' * ''Otomys cheesmani'' sp. nov -

Cheesman's vlei rat The Cheesman's vlei rat (''Otomys cheesmani'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is considered endemic to northwestern Ethiopia. Conservation It is possibly extinct and only known from two localities in Ethiopia, hence the asse ...

(Taylor, Lavrenchenko, Carleton, Verheyen, Bennett, Oosthuizen & Maree, 2011) * ''Otomys simiensis'' sp. nov -

Simien vlei rat The Simien vlei rat (''Otomys simiensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in northern Ethiopia. Conservation The species is known from less than 10 locations in Ethiopia. However, it is thought to occur in a protect ...

(Taylor, Lavrenchenko, Carleton, Verheyen, Bennett, Oosthuizen & Maree, 2011) * ''Otomys yaldeni'' sp. nov -

Yalden's vlei rat The Yalden's vlei rat (''Otomys yaldeni'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in the Bale Mountains, in southwestern Ethiopia. Conservation It is listed as " Vulnerable" by the IUCN The International Union for Conse ...

(Taylor, Lavrenchenko, Carleton, Verheyen, Bennett, Oosthuizen & Maree, 2011).

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

s, subtropical or tropical high-altitude

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

Conservation

It is said to be common.

References

* Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Mammals of Ethiopia Mammals described in 1877 Otomys Taxa named by Theodor von Heuglin Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Otomys-stub