They’re not pests
More often than not, our first reaction when we see a rat is to kill it because we think it is a pest and carrier of disease. But, says Sanjay Molur, conservation biologist and Executive Director of Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), that applies to only one or two species like the house rat. The other species are mostly found in the wild and are canopy rats and mice and “around 95% actually play a positive role in the ecosystem”. So here’s highlighting a few rodents that are not pests and vermin.
Sahyadris Forest Rat
The Rattus satarae was initially thought to be a subspecies of the Black rat but later discovered to be a different species. With a long tail and a soft coat that is golden brown on top and white on the underside, it is found in the Western Ghats; specifically in Satara (Maharashtra), the Nilgiri Hills (Tamil Nadu) and Kodagu (Karnataka). With its habitat under threat from plantations, logging, pesticide use and invasive and exotic species, it is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red list. It lives in nests or burrows in the middle or high canopies of the forests and rarely comes to the ground and lives on fruits and insects.
Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse
Also endemic to the Western Ghats, the Platacanthomys lasiurus is similar to the dormouse in looks but is not related. It is an arboreal species that lives in tree holes inside dense forests. The fur on its back stand up like spines and its tail ends in a bushy tuft. These rats come out at night and feed largely on fruits. Listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, it was considered to be a pest in the pepper and cardamom plantations of Coorg. But studies using camera traps have shown that it lives primarily in undisturbed dense forest habitats.
Indian Desert Jird
Also known as the Indian Desert Gerbil, Meriones hurrianae is brown on top with a creamy-yellow tummy and orange incisors. Though closely related to the gerbil, the jird doesn’t have long hind legs or the erect posture of the former and is also diurnal (can be seen during day and night). They are found in deserts and barren areas where the soil is firm. They live in burrows that have more than one entrance and feed on seeds, roots, nuts, grasses and insects.
Nilgiri long-tailed tree mouse
Listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List, the Vandeleuria nilagirica is found in the Western Ghats in the Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu), Coorg (Karnataka), and Alibaug (Maharashtra). It lives in holes high up on trees and builds a nest of grass and leaves in the forks of branches when rearing a family. Its habitat is under threat from agricultural activities, logging, pollution and introduction of exotic species. It is nocturnal and arboreal and mostly found in undisturbed forest patches with native species.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons