Cricetomys ansorgei
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The southern giant pouched rat (Cricetomys ansorgei) is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It is distributed in the savannah of East and Southern Africa. The southern giant pouched rat is a large rodent, with males larger than females. Adult males typically weigh 1.5 to 2.0 kg (3.3 to 4.4 lb), while females weigh 1.2 to 1.6 kg (2.6 to 3.5 lb). The pouches for which these rats are named consist of oversized cheek-pouches, which they often use to transport large food-finds back to their burrows for storage. From their nose to the tip of their tail, these animals are approximately 70 to 80 cm (28 to 31 in) long. They have dark brown to reddish fur on their backs and a pale belly. The tail is bi-colored, brown with white at the distal third of the tail.
Females have small litters, usually between 1–3 young at a time. Males scent mark using cheek and anogenital rubbing, as well as urine, and appear to preferentially mark unfamiliar locations. An analysis of cranial head measurements, as well as mitochondrial cytochrome b phylogeny shows C. ansorgei to be distinct from other members of the genus Cricetomys. C. ansorgei may have a largely-undescribed... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Hogle Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Harare, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giant Pouched Rat sighting in Harare on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giant Pouched Rat in Harare on a given day, against under 5% in February and May–November, the lowest months. That is one of Harare's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 200 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Giant Pouched Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Harare, in our data
Harare is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Giant Pouched Rat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Giant Pouched Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Harare (5 verified sightings), 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.
