The Tanzanian shaggy rat (''Dasymys sua'') is a species of
shaggy marsh rat endemic to eastern
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, near the
Uluguru Mountains
The Uluguru mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, named after the Luguru tribe. The main portion of the Uluguru mountains is a ridge running roughly north-south and rising to altitude at its highest point. On the main Uluguru rang ...
.
Description
Covered in soft, shaggy, reddish to brown fur. Broad shaped head with a short muzzle. Rounded ears with a distinct furriness to the interior. Tail is shorter than the head to body length.
Habitat
''Dasymys sua'' thrives in
marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...
es and other
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
s.
Behavior
''Dasymys sua'' is nocturnal, similar to other members of its genus.
See also
*
List of mammals of Tanzania
References
Mammals described in 2003
Mammals of Tanzania
Dasymys
{{Muridae-stub