Viscacha rats are a group 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 ...
s in the family
Octodontidae. All species are found in Argentina. They are placed in the following genera:
*Genus ''Octomys''
** ''O. mimax '',
mountain viscacha rat
The mountain viscacha rat or mountain vizcacha rat (''Octomys mimax''), historically viscacha rat or vizcacha rat, is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Argentina.
It is the only living species within the genus '' ...
, found in the Andes
*Genus ''Pipanacoctomys''
** ''P. aureus'', the
golden viscacha rat, found near a salt flat
*Genus ''
Tympanoctomys'' (4 species, 3 extant), found in desert shrubland near salt flats
** ''T. barrerae'', the
plains viscacha rat
The plains viscacha rat, plains vizcacha rat, red viscacha rat, or red vizcacha rat (''Tympanoctomys barrerae'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae native to Argentina. It is one of three species in the genus '' Tympanoctomys''.
D ...
** ''T. kirchnerorum'',
Kirchner's viscacha rat
Kirchner's viscacha rat or Kirchner's vizcacha rat (''Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae described in 2014. It is one of two species in the genus ''Tympanoctomys''. That species is endemic to Chubut Pr ...
,
** ''T. loschalchalerosorum'', the
Chalchalero viscacha rat
** †''
T. cordubensis''
{{disambiguation
Rodents
Animal common name disambiguation pages