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The nonsense rat, Nicobar Archipelago rat, or Miller's Nicobar rat (''Rattus burrus'') is endemic to the
Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...
in
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 ...
. It lives on
Great Nicobar Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. History The Nicobar Island has been well known to Indian mariners since the time of the seafaring Cholas https://www.britannica.com/place/Nicobar- ...
, Little Nicobar, and Trinket islands. On
Car Nicobar Car Nicobar ( in Car language) is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of three local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Annual ra ...
Island, ''Rattus palmarum'' and ''Rattus anadamanensis'' live instead. The species was first described in 1902 by Miller, who placed it in the genus '' Mus''. Today it is classified in the genus ''
Rattus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'' ...
''. The origin of the name "nonsense rat" is uncertain, as Miller did not provide a common name in his original description. More recent sources, such as the IUCN, include it.


Habitat and distribution

The nonsense rat is endemic to the Nicobar Islands, where it is confined to isolated populations on the islands of Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar and Trinket. It inhabits tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.


Conservation

The nonsense rat is classified as
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
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 natur ...
.


References

Rattus Rats of Asia Endemic fauna of the Nicobar Islands Rodents of India Endangered fauna of Asia Mammals described in 1902 {{Rattus-stub