Lesser Bamboo Rat

The lesser bamboo rat is the only species in its genus. It reaches about 20cm in length with a tail of around 6cm and weighs 210–340g. The ears are small and hidden in the coat, and the soft, dense fur is reddish-brown to greyish-brown above and paler and thinner below. Some animals have white stripes on the crown or white on the throat, and the tail has a few hairs (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a burrowing animal, usually found in bamboo groves in mountainous areas but also in woodland, plantations and disturbed ground. The main tunnel runs horizontally beneath the surface, may reach 60cm deep and can be as long as 58m. Excavated earth is flung up in a mound at the entrance and at intervals along the burrow. It is recorded from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand (Wikipedia, general species account).