Giant rats can bite open coconuts

Researchers have captured images of a rare 45cm-long rat in the Solomon Islands for the first time using camera traps.

Camera trap captures giant rat Vangunu. Photo: Tyrone Lavery

In 2017, scientists discovered a giant rat that can crack open coconut shells. Now, the extremely rare creature has been photographed in the wild for the first time, according to research published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, New Atlas reported on November 22.

Locals living in the Solomon Islands have long told of giant rats that crawl around the base of trees and can even chew coconut shells. It wasn’t until 2017 that a team of scientists from the Field Museum in Chicago found a living specimen during an expedition and confirmed it was a completely new species through DNA analysis. Named the Vangunu giant rat ( Uromys vika ), an individual can weigh a kilogram and grow to 45.7 centimeters long, three to four times the size of a typical black or brown rat.

At the time, the Vangunu giant rats were only depicted in illustrations. But recently, researchers captured their first photos using camera traps set up around Vangunu Island based on local knowledge of the animals. The rats appeared in 95 photos, from which the team identified four individuals.

Unfortunately, this may be the only photo series of the Vangunu giant rat. Although discovered a few years ago, their scarcity has put them on the critically endangered list and their habitat around Zaira Village is under threat.

The images show that the Vangunu giant rat lives in the Zaira Forest, which is the last remaining habitat for the species, according to Dr Tyrone Lavery of the University of Melbourne. If deforestation continues, the rat will become extinct. The team hopes the new series of images will help raise awareness about the rat's conservation.

An Khang (According to New Atlas)

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