The giant Atlantic tree-rat (''Phyllomys thomasi'') is a spiny rat species from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to São Sebastião Island off the coast of

São Paulo State SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...

. The island is largely protected by the Ilhabela State Park.

References

Phyllomys Taxa named by Hermann von Ihering Mammals of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Mammals described in 1897 {{Echimyidae-stub