Blanford's rat (''Madromys blanfordi'') is a species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
in the family
Muridae
The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
The name Muridae come ...
. It is the only species in the genus ''Madromys''. Known as වලිග සුදු වන මීයා (meaning white-tailed wood rat) in Sinhala language.
It is found throughout
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
(in
Satkhira District
Satkhira ( bn, সাতক্ষীরা জেলা, pron: ''Satkhira'') is a district in southwestern Bangladesh and is part of Khulna Division. It lies along the border with West Bengal, India. It is on the bank of the Arpangachhia River. ...
).
Description
Head and body 14–15 cm; tail is 19 cm. Dorsum grayish brown, darker on back and lighter on the sides. White underparts. Feet are white in adults, brownish white in young. two thirds of the tail is brown from the base then covered with long dense white furs.
References
External links
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Old World rats and mice
Rats of Asia
Rodents of India
Mammals of Sri Lanka
Mammals described in 1881
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Murinae-stub