The Amazonian hocicudo (''Oxymycterus amazonicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae from South America. It is found in the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

in Brazil where it lives in moist lowland forest. It is a common species with a large range and is rated by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

as being of " least concern".

Description

The adult Amazonian hocicudo grows to a head-and-body length of about , with a relatively short tail of . The fur on the back and the sides is generally dark brown, but some individuals are more rufous brown. The underparts are orangish with the throat being paler than other parts, and sometimes nearly white. Species identification is helped by measuring the length of the hind feet and the ears. In this case, the hind feet, including the large claws, are long and the ears .

Distribution

The Amazonian hocicudo is native to the

in Brazil. Its range extends from the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

southwards to the Tocantins River and Madeira River, and the northwestern part of the

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP. Neighboring ...

, as well as westwards to the Jamari River. Its habitat is humid lowland forest, but it has also been found in secondary-growth woodland and in scrubby areas bordering cassava and rice fields.

Ecology

The Amazonian hocicudo is preyed on by snakes, as demonstrated by the fact that one specimen was found in the stomach of a

pit viper The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . crotaline snakes (from grc, κρόταλον ''krotalon'' castanet), or pit adders, are a subfa ...

(''Bothrops'' spp).

Status

The Amazonian hocicudo occurs over a wide range, and although the population trend is unknown, it is described as being a widespread and common species. No specific threats have been identified and it occurs in a number of protected areas, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being a species of " least concern".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1760924 Oxymycterus Mammals described in 1994