"two bags that may range from the mouth to the front of the shoulders. True mice and rats do not contain this structure but their cheeks are elastic due to a high degree of musculature and innervation in the region. While the largest species, the capybara, can weigh as much as , most rodents weigh less than . The smallest rodent is the Baluchistan pygmy jerboa, which averages only in head and body length, with adult females weighing only . Rodents have wide-ranging morphologies, but typically have squat bodies and short limbs. The fore limbs usually have five digits, including"
"Woolly giant rat The woolly giant rat (""Kunsia tomentosus"") is a species of large burrowing rodent native to South America. No subspecies are currently recognised. The woolly giant rat is an exceptionally large rat, the largest living species of sigmodontine rodent, with short limbs and powerful claws. Nonetheless, individuals vary considerably in size, ranging from in head-body length, with a relatively short tail long. Body weight varies from ; no other sigmodontine species has a maximum weight above . The fur is thick and coarse, with an almost uniform shade of dark grey or brown across the whole of the"
"in 1982, multiple establishments in Japan that raise capybaras have adopted the practice of having them relax in onsen during the winter. Capybara The capybara (""Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris"") is a mammal native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Also called chigüire, chigüiro (in Venezuela) and carpincho, it is a member of the genus ""Hydrochoerus"", of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (""Hydrochoerus isthmius""). Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the coypu. The capybara inhabits savannas and"
"Capybara The capybara (""Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris"") is a mammal native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Also called chigüire, chigüiro (in Venezuela) and carpincho, it is a member of the genus ""Hydrochoerus"", of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (""Hydrochoerus isthmius""). Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the coypu. The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large"
"of grasses, and on termites and orthoptera, which they locate by smell. They are thought to be either nocturnal or crepuscular, but to spend most of the time underground in burrows, emerging primarily during the rainy season. Little is known of the rats' biology, although they are thought to breed twice a year. Woolly giant rat The woolly giant rat (""Kunsia tomentosus"") is a species of large burrowing rodent native to South America. No subspecies are currently recognised. The woolly giant rat is an exceptionally large rat, the largest living species of sigmodontine rodent, with short limbs and powerful claws."
"Josephoartigasia monesi Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived from about 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species is one of two in the genus ""Josephoartigasia"", the other being ""J. magna"". ""J. monesi"" is sometimes called the giant pacarana, after its closest living relative, the pacarana (""Dinomys branickii"") in the family Dinomyidae. The species may have weighed a ton, considerably larger than any living rodent. The skull of the holotype is long, and the remaining incisor is more than in length. The total"
"Roan antelope The roan antelope (""Hippotragus equinus"") is a savanna antelope found in West, Central, East and Southern Africa. It is the namesake of the Chevaline project, whose name was taken from the French ""Antilope Chevaline"". Roan antelope are one of the largest species of antelopes, only Elands, Bongos and large male Kudus can exceed them in weight. They measure from the head to the base of tail and the tail measures . The body mass of males is and of females is . The shoulder of this species is typically around . Named for their roan colour (a reddish"
"ground squirrel (""Xerus inauris""), the Gambian pouched rat (""Cricetomys qambianus"") and the lesser cane rat (""Thryonomys gregorianus""). The largest known rodent prey is the South African springhare (""Pedetes capensis"") at an average adult weight of . Avery, et al. (1985) opined that springhares may be only taken as carrion as they claim it be too large for the eagle-owl to overpower and indeed at least one South African springhare was fed on as roadkilled carrion. However Avery, et al. (1985) also acknowledge that adult monkeys of larger size are taken alive by the eagle-owls, so it certainly should not be"
"particular identified threats, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of ""least concern"". Maximowicz's vole Maximowicz's vole (Microtus maximowiczii) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northeastern China, Mongolia, and eastern Russia. Maximowicz's vole is one of the largest voles in the genus ""Microtus"". Adults grow to a head-and-body length of with a tail length of . The fur on the back is dark brownish-black with ochre specks, and the flanks are paler brown, blending gradually into the greyish-white underparts. The upper sides of the hands"
"that the bite of ""J. monesi"" possibly generated up to 4165 N of force, three times as powerful as predicted for modern day tigers. The study also speculated that ""J. monesi"" behaved similarly to elephants, utilizing its incisors like tusks for digging or defense. Josephoartigasia monesi Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived from about 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species is one of two in the genus ""Josephoartigasia"", the other being ""J. magna"". ""J. monesi"" is sometimes called the giant pacarana,"
"Giant hutia The giant hutias are an extinct group of large rodents known from fossil and subfossil material in the West Indies. One species, ""Amblyrhiza inundata"", is estimated to have weighed between , big specimens being as large as an American black bear. This is twice as large as the capybara, the largest rodent living today, but still much smaller than ""Josephoartigasia monesi"", the largest rodent known. These animals were probably used as a food source by aboriginal humans. All giant hutias are in a single family, Heptaxodontidae, which contains no living species; this grouping seems to be paraphyletic and"
"Maximowicz's vole Maximowicz's vole (Microtus maximowiczii) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northeastern China, Mongolia, and eastern Russia. Maximowicz's vole is one of the largest voles in the genus ""Microtus"". Adults grow to a head-and-body length of with a tail length of . The fur on the back is dark brownish-black with ochre specks, and the flanks are paler brown, blending gradually into the greyish-white underparts. The upper sides of the hands and feet are whitish-brown. The tail is either uniform dark brown or bicoloured, with the upper side dark brown and the"
"Townsend's vole Townsend's vole (Microtus townsendii) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, the sister species of ""M. canicaudus"". It is found in temperate grasslands of British Columbia in Canada and in the states of Washington and Oregon in the United States. Greek root words for ""small ear"" are the source for the genus name ""Microtus"". American naturalist and writer John Kirk Townsend collected the type specimen in 1835, which accounts for the second part of the name. Townsend's vole is one of the largest voles in North America, growing to a total length of including a tail"
"suited to the gopher (disturbed habitats and pastoral farmland), it may be considered a pest and subject to eradication by poisoning and trapping. Camas pocket gopher The camas pocket gopher (""Thomomys bulbivorus""), also known as the camas rat or Willamette Valley gopher, is a rodent, the largest member in the genus ""Thomomys"", of the family Geomyidae. First described in , it is endemic to the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon in the United States. The herbivorous gopher forages for vegetable and plant matter, which it collects in large, fur-lined, external cheek pouches. Surplus food is hoarded in an extensive system"
"Wolverine The wolverine () (also spelled wolverene), ""Gulo gulo"" (""Gulo"" is Latin for ""glutton""), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch, is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. A solitary animal, it has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself. The wolverine is found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern"
"Camas pocket gopher The camas pocket gopher (""Thomomys bulbivorus""), also known as the camas rat or Willamette Valley gopher, is a rodent, the largest member in the genus ""Thomomys"", of the family Geomyidae. First described in , it is endemic to the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon in the United States. The herbivorous gopher forages for vegetable and plant matter, which it collects in large, fur-lined, external cheek pouches. Surplus food is hoarded in an extensive system of underground tunnels. The dull-brown-to-lead-gray coat changes color and texture over the year. The mammal's characteristically large, protuberant incisors are well adapted for"
"have occurred to the landscape. The International Union for Conservation of Nature have listed it as being of ""least concern"" but thinks populations should continue to be monitored. Great jerboa The great jerboa (""Allactaga major"") is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. It mainly lives in deserts. The great jerboa is the biggest of all species of jerboa. The length of its body is 180 mm and its tail is 260 mm. The great jerboa is native to the steppes and northern deserts of western Ukraine and European"
"Red and white giant flying squirrel The red and white giant flying squirrel (""Petaurista alborufus"") is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is the largest species of giant squirrel and has blue eyes. It is also known as the Chinese giant flying squirrel. At over a meter long including its tail, the red and white giant flying squirrel is the largest of its kind. Endemic to central and southern China and Taiwan, they inhabit dense hillside forests in mountainous terrain. They spend their days sleeping, emerging after sundown to forage in the trees. Their diet consists primarily"
"of being mistaken for wolves by trained biologists. The gray wolf is the largest extant member of the Canidae, excepting certain large breeds of domestic dog. Gray wolf weight and size can vary greatly worldwide, tending to increase proportionally with latitude as predicted by Bergmann's Rule, with the large wolves of Alaska and Canada sometimes weighing 3–6 times more than their Middle Eastern and South Asian cousins. On average, adult wolves measure in length and in shoulder height. The tail measures in length. The ears are in height, and the hind feet are . The mean body mass of the"
"Giant white-tailed rat The giant white-tailed rat (""Uromys caudimaculatus"") is an Australian rodent native to tropical rainforest of north Queensland, with subspecies occurring in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. It is one of the largest rodents in Australia, reaching up to 1 kg in weight, is grey-brown above, cream to white below, and has a long, naked tail of which the distal section is white (Moore 1995). Breeding commences in September or October, peaking in December and January at the height of the wet season. After a gestation of 36 days, a litter of two to three (rarely four)"
"It is possible that the species can hybridise with the Namaqua dune mole rat, with some suspected hybrids having been recovered from the Groenrivier region, where the two species live relatively close together. Cape dune mole-rat The Cape dune mole-rat (""Bathyergus suillus"") is a species of solitary burrowing rodent in the family Bathyergidae. It is endemic to South Africa and named for the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape dune mole-rat is the largest of all the blesmols, measuring in head-body length, with a short, tail. Males are generally much heavier than females, weighing anything from , compared with typical"
"Muskrat The muskrat (""Ondatra zibethicus""), the only species in genus Ondatra and tribe Ondatrini, is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and is an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, and is a resource of food and fur for humans. The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae, which includes 142 other species of rodents, mostly voles and lemmings. Muskrats are referred to as ""rats"" in a general sense"
"mole-rats (including the well-known naked mole-rat), belong to the other major division of the rodents, the Hystricomorphs. All the rhizomyines are bulky, slow-moving, burrowing animals, the ""Rhizomys"" species being the largest and stockiest. They vary in length from 150 to 480 mm (head and body) with a tail of 50 to 200 mm, and their weights are from 150 g to 4 kg, depending on the species. They mainly feed on the underground parts of plants, which they reach from foraging burrows. They are rarely active above ground, and if they do come out of their extensive burrow systems, it"
"Congrogadus subducens The carpet eel-blenny (""Congrogadus subducens""), also known as the green wolf eel or green wolf eel blenny, is a relatively large species of dottyback found in coastal parts of the Indo-West Pacific, including coral reefs, among rocks, seagrass beds, tidal flats and in brackish habitats. Despite the names, it is unrelated to the true wolf eel of the North Pacific, the true eel of the order Anguilliformes and the true blennies of the suborder Blennioidei. It is the largest dottyback, reaching up to in length. The colour is very variable (green, brown, black or bluish; often with spots"
"the genus ""Canis"", and is generally intermediate in size between the coyote and gray wolf, though some specimens may overlap in size with small gray wolves. A study of ""Canis"" morphometrics conducted in eastern North Carolina reported that red wolves are morphometrically distinct from coyotes and hybrids. Adults measure 136–160 cm (53.5–63 in) in length, and weigh 23–39 kg (50-85 lbs). Its pelage is typically more reddish and sparsely furred than the coyote's and gray wolf's, though melanistic individuals do occur. Its fur is generally tawny to grayish in color, with light markings around the lips and eyes. The red"
"In general larger sized than other rodent families, the species hunting range from the gray-collared chipmunk (""Tamias cinereicollis"") to the hoary marmot (""Marmota caligata""); thus, squirrels can be provide a very fulfilling meal. An even larger rodent is sometimes attacked as prey by great horned owls, the North American porcupine (""Erethizon dorsatum""), in which average adults range from . This has been determined from owls who have porcupine quills imbedded in them, sometimes resulting in death. On occasion, they are successful in killing porcupine, even adults as determined by the size of the quills left behind and prey remains at"
"Cape dune mole-rat The Cape dune mole-rat (""Bathyergus suillus"") is a species of solitary burrowing rodent in the family Bathyergidae. It is endemic to South Africa and named for the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape dune mole-rat is the largest of all the blesmols, measuring in head-body length, with a short, tail. Males are generally much heavier than females, weighing anything from , compared with typical female weights of . Both sexes are sturdy, large-bodied rodents, with blunt snouts, cylindrical torsos and short limbs. The forefeet are heavily adapted for digging, with powerful curved claws. To enable to move"
"burrow. About a month after copulation, the female will give birth to a litter that may have anywhere between 5-8 altricial young. Within 40–50 days they will be weaned from their mother. Colorado chipmunk The Colorado chipmunk (""Neotamias quadrivittatus"") is a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. It can be found most often in coniferous forests, woodlands, montane shrub lands, and alpine tundra habitats. This means that in elevation, T. quadrivittatus inhabits anywhere above and below elevation. This western American dweller is the largest"
"Southern elephant seal The southern elephant seal (""Mirounga leonina"") is one of the two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest extant marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets its name from its massive size and the large proboscis of the adult male, which is used to produce very loud roars, especially during the breeding season. A bull southern elephant seal is about 40% heavier than a male northern elephant seal (""Mirounga angustirostris""), more than twice as heavy as a male walrus (""Odobenus"
"31 x 24 cm. Pages: 800 pp. Initially it was intended to publish only one volume on lagomorphs and rodents. But due to the large number of described rodents Lynx Edicions organized a survey from summer to autumn 2015 in which a majority of customers decided in favor of two volumes. The sixth volume is devoted to the lagomorphs and 25 families of rodents, including the hares, pikas, chinchillas, the Laotian rock rat (a living fossil), the capybara (the largest extant rodent), and the diverse group of squirrels. The 60 colour plates are created by Toni Llobet. It covers the"
"estimated body length is , with a height of . ""J. monesi"" replaced ""Phoberomys pattersoni"", a related and somewhat older species that lived in Venezuela during the Late Miocene, as the largest rodent. However, size comparisons are difficult because previous estimates of for ""P. pattersoni"" were based on fore and hind limb elements, which are not present in the ""J. monesi"" specimen. By comparing the skull with various extant species of rodents, the authors of the original paper estimated a mass between , with a median estimate of . A later researcher revisited the numbers and came up with a"
"mascot beaver on the top surface. The ring is traditionally made of gold, the beaver is the largest North American rodent, hence ""gold beaver"" has informally become ""Brass Rat"" in student lingo. Tim the Beaver is the official mascot of MIT, appearing at athletic events, fundraisers, and other occasions. The name ""Tim"" is simply ""MIT"" spelled backwards. A beaver was selected as the MIT mascot because beavers are ""nature's engineers""; this decision was made at the Technology Club of New York's annual dinner on January 17, 1914. President Richard Maclaurin proposed the beaver. The sports teams at MIT often choose"
"(""Canis lupus pambasileus"") and the Northwestern wolf (""Canis lupus occidentalis""). The largest northern wolves today have a shoulder height of and a body length of . Some dire wolf specimens from Rancho LaBrea are smaller than this, and some are larger. The dire wolf had smaller feet and a larger head when compared with a northern wolf of the same body size. The skull length could reach up to or longer, with a broader palate, frontal region, and zygomatic arches compared with the Yukon wolf. These dimensions make the skull very massive. Its sagittal crest was higher, with the inion"