Hoplomys gymnurus
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The armored rat (Hoplomys gymnurus) is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is monotypic within the genus Hoplomys. It is found in Latin America, from northern Honduras to northwest Ecuador. It possesses a range of spines on its back and sides of the body.
Adults weigh between 218–790 grams (0.481–1.742 lb) with males weighing more on average than females. They are born with soft fur, and the spines begin growing after the first month. The thick spines on the back and sides measure up to 33 millimetres (1.3 in) and 2 millimetres (0.079 in) in diameter. The head and body measures between 220–320 millimetres (8.7–12.6 in) in length, with the tail adding another 150–255 millimetres (5.9–10.0 in). The color of the armored rat range from black to reddish brown, and has a pure white underside. They are similar in appearance to Tome's spiny-rat, but the eyes of the armored rat are smaller and they have a longer snout. Its diet includes fruit, insects and green plant matter. The normal litter size is one to three.
The armored rat is a terrestrial species, which occupies burrows. These burrows are usually positioned in steep banks close to a water... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Armored Rat sighting in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 31 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Armored Rat in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–June and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Armored Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Braulio Carrillo National Park, in our data
Braulio Carrillo National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Armored Rat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Armored Rat that you can see in Braulio Carrillo National Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Central American Agouti (about 40%), Variegated Squirrel (about 30%) and Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Armored Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Braulio Carrillo National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
