Viscacha rats are a group 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 ...
s in the family
Octodontidae
Octodontidae is a family of rodents, restricted to southwestern South America. Fourteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in seven genera. The best known species is the common degu, ''Octodon degus''.
Octodontids are medium-sized ...
. All species are found in Argentina. They are placed in the following genera:
*Genus ''Octomys''
** ''O. mimax '',
mountain viscacha rat
The mountain viscacha rat or mountain vizcacha rat (''Octomys mimax''), historically viscacha rat or vizcacha rat, is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Argentina.
It is the only living species within the genus '' ...
, found in the Andes
*Genus ''Pipanacoctomys''
** ''P. aureus'', the
golden viscacha rat
The golden viscacha rat or golden vizcacha rat (''Pipanacoctomys aureus'') is the single species of the genus ''Pipanacoctomys'' of the rodent family Octodontidae. It has 92 chromosomes and has been regarded as tetraploid ( 4x = 2n).Gallardo, M. ...
, found near a salt flat
*Genus ''
Tympanoctomys
''Tympanoctomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Octodontidae. There are three extant species in the genus: ''Tympanoctomys barrerae, T. barrerae'', ''Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum, T. kirchnerorum'' and ''Tympanoctomys loschalchalerosorum, T. l ...
'' (4 species, 3 extant), found in desert shrubland near salt flats
** ''T. barrerae'', the
plains viscacha rat
The plains viscacha rat, plains vizcacha rat, red viscacha rat, or red vizcacha rat (''Tympanoctomys barrerae'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae native to Argentina. It is one of three species in the genus ''Tympanoctomys''.
Des ...
** ''T. kirchnerorum'',
Kirchner's viscacha rat,
** ''T. loschalchalerosorum'', the
Chalchalero viscacha rat
** †''
T. cordubensis''
{{disambiguation
Rodents
Animal common name disambiguation pages