Wildlifeof Madagascar
Giant Jumping Rat
Giant Jumping Rats & Malagasy Rodents
Photo: Adrian Pingstone · Public domain
Hypogeomys antimena
Basic stats
Diet
Fallen fruit, nuts, seeds, leaves, young shoots and tubers, including baobab and Commiphora fruit
Habitat
Dry deciduous forest on sandy soil, at roughly 40–100m elevation
Range
A narrow strip of western Madagascar, in the Menabe region north of Morondava between the Tomitsy and Tsiribihina rivers
Litter size
1, occasionally 2
Gestation period
About 100–130 days
Size
Head and body 305–345mm; tail 215–240mm
Weight
1.1–1.3kg
The giant jumping rat is the largest living rodent on Madagascar, about the size of a rabbit. It has a coarse brownish-grey to reddish coat, a pale belly, long pointed ears of about 6cm, small front limbs and strong hindfeet that let it break into kangaroo-like hops. The tail adds another 20–25cm (Wikipedia; Mittermeier et al. 2013, general species account).
Strictly nocturnal and ground-living, it spends the day in burrow systems about 5m long, with several entrances up to about 40cm wide that are plugged with soil and leaves to deter predators such as the fossa and the Madagascar ground boa. Pairs live together for life in small home ranges and defend them with scent marks. They communicate with foot-tapping and calls, and the female bears a single young, which stays in the burrow for four to six weeks (Wikipedia; Mittermeier et al. 2013).
It is found only in a few hundred square kilometres of Menabe, and much of this is the Kirindy forest, so seeing one on a Kirindy night walk is a highlight of a western trip. On this guide it is a target species of Kirindy.
Quick answers
- What does the Giant Jumping Rat eat?
- Fallen fruit, nuts, seeds, leaves, young shoots and tubers, including baobab and Commiphora fruit
- What habitat does the Giant Jumping Rat live in?
- Dry deciduous forest on sandy soil, at roughly 40–100m elevation
- Where is the Giant Jumping Rat found?
- A narrow strip of western Madagascar, in the Menabe region north of Morondava between the Tomitsy and Tsiribihina rivers
- What is the litter size of the Giant Jumping Rat?
- 1, occasionally 2
- How long is the gestation period of the Giant Jumping Rat?
- About 100–130 days
- How big is the Giant Jumping Rat?
- Head and body 305–345mm; tail 215–240mm
- How much does the Giant Jumping Rat weigh?
- 1.1–1.3kg