Thallomys nigricauda
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The black-tailed tree rat, also called black-tailed acacia rat or black-tailed thallomys, (Thallomys nigricauda), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is both nocturnal and arboreal and makes bulky nests in the trees, often acacias, where it feeds on leaves and buds.
The black-tailed tree rat is a medium-sized rodent with a head-and body length of about 135 mm (5 in) and a tail of about 145 mm (6 in). The sides of the face are grey, and a dark band extends from the muzzle to around the eyes and below the ears. The eyes are large and the whiskers are long. The ears are large, oval, and set at an oblique angle. The dorsal fur is long and woolly, slate grey tinged with yellow. The underparts are white, the limbs are grey and the upper sides of the broad feet are white. The long tail is clad in black scales and black bristles, and tipped with black hairs.
The black-tailed tree rat is endemic to southwestern Africa. Its range includes southwestern Angola, Namibia, Botswana and northwestern South Africa... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Tree Rat sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 37 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, June and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Tree Rat in Etosha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, July and September–December, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-tailed Tree Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black-tailed Tree Rat sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Black-tailed Tree Rat that you can see in Etosha National Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Cape Ground Squirrel (about 50%) and Smith's Bush Squirrel (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-tailed Tree Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Etosha National Park (6 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.
