435.

Kaiser’s Rock Rat

Aethomys kaiseri

French: Aethomys de Kaiser / German: KaiserBuschlandratte / Spanish: Rata de roca de Kaiser

Other common names: Kaiser's Aethomys, Kaiser's Veld Rat

Taxonomy. Mus kaiseri Noack, 1887,

“Mpala (Marunga),” DR Congo .

Aethomys hindei was previously included in this species. Monotypic.

Distribution. From N shore of Lake Victoria in S Uganda and S Kenya S to Malawi, NW Mozambique, and N Zambia, and SW to NC Angola.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 139-196 mm, tail 124-167 mm, ear 19-24 mm, hindfoot 27-39 mm; weight 78-144 g. A

large rat, Kaiser's Rock Rat has fur that is coarse and warm yellowish brown dorsally, grading into grayish white ventrally. Ears are medium-sized and dark brown. Tail is shorter (c.83%) than head-body length and scaled with numerous short bristles, brown above and pale below. Limbs are relatively short and gray, with four digits on forefoot and five on hindfoot. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 50, FNa = 60.

Habitat. Recorded along streams, near shrubs, and inhabiting anthills in savannas, woodlands, montane forest edge (at 2150 m), and pine plantations.

Food and Feeding. Kaiser’s Rock Rat is omnivorous, eating vegetation and insects.

Breeding. Breeding season in the wild unknown. Gestation period in captivity is 26-28 days, and average litter size 2:6 (range 1-4). Neonates have average weight of 6-1 g. Eyes open at 8-10 days, weaning occurs at 26 days; nipple-clinging lasts for twelve days after birth.

Activity patterns. Kaiser's Rock Rats are nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Kaiser's Rock Ratis less common than the Red Rock Rat ( A. chrysophilus) and is very rare in some parts of its range, such as tropical grasslands in Uganda.

Bibliography. Cheeseman (1981), Crawford-Cabral (1999), Hanney (1965), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015).