The collared tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys torquatus'') is a

tuco-tuco A tuco-tuco is a neotropical rodent in the family Ctenomyidae.Parada, A., G. D’Elia, C.J. Bidau, and E.P. Lessa. 2011. Species Groups and the Evolutionary Diversification of Tuco-Tucos, genus ''Ctenomys'' (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). ''Journal of M ...

species from South America. It is found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina where it lives underground in a burrow it digs in savannah habitats. It is a relatively common species and 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 ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Description

The collared tuco-tuco is a short-tailed rodent with a total length of about , including a tail of . It varies considerably in colour across its range and between different members of the same population. The upper parts can be anything from mahogany brown to yellowish-brown, and the flanks and underparts are yellowish white. Most animals have a paler collar of yellowish-white and many have pale patches in the armpit and groin. The tail is dark brown above and below.

Distribution and habitat

The collared tuco-tuco is native to southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina, where it is found in the provinces of Entre Ríos and

Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...

. Its typical habitat is high, dry

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

h country with sandy, rock-free soils. It does not inhabit cultivated land.

Ecology

Except during the breeding season, this animal is solitary. It lives in a burrow which is usually less than below the surface of the ground and may be several metres in length. Side passages are used for storing food. It is a herbivore and usually eats the whole plant on which it is feeding; it is diurnal and rather secretive, emerging only briefly from the entrance to its burrow to forage. Breeding takes place once a year between June and October. After a gestation period of about 105 days, a litter of two or three young is born underground.

Status

The collared tuco-tuco has a wide range and is presumed to have a large population. In Brazil it is threatened by increasing cultivation of its habitat, the planting of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

and ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

'' plantations, and the strip-mining of coal. No other particular threats have been identified and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collared Tuco-Tuco Tuco-tucos Rodents of South America Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Uruguay Mammals described in 1830