The mountain giant Sunda rat, ''Sundamys infraluteus'' (also known as the giant mountain rat or giant rat of Sumatra) is a large rat, around 480 to 640 millimeters (19 to 25 inches) in total length (230 to 290 millimeters -11.5 inchesexcluding the tail). It weighs 230 to 600 grams. This makes it somewhat larger than a

Norway rat The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown o ...

, which averages around 300 grams, with 500 grams being unusually large. The rat is mostly dark brown with paler brownish specks. Its long fur is covered with even longer

guard hairs Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

. The tail is uniformly brown.

Habitat and habits

This species lives in forested mountains, between 700 and 2400 meters. It is found in southeastern Asia, especially

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. The species is

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

Other information

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

refers to a '

giant rat of Sumatra The Giant Rat of Sumatra is a fictional giant rat, first mentioned by Arthur Conan Doyle in " The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire". As part of the tale, the protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, declares that there is a "story" connected with this rat, pre ...

' in "

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", written by British author Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes stories collected between 1921 and 1927 as ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in the January 1924 issu ...

". Some scholars, including Leslie S. Klinger, have identified that rat as ''Sundamys infraluteus''.

References

Taxonomy and common namesDescription, habits, and habitat
Sundamys Rats of Asia Rodents of Malaysia Rodents of Indonesia Mammals described in 1888 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas {{Murinae-stub