Common names: Southern Giant Pouched Rat, African Giant Rat, Gambian Rat, Giant Pouched Rat, Giant Rat, (English), Reuse Rot (Afrikaans), Ndovhi (Venda) Taxonomic status: Species Taxonomic notes: While previously included under C. gambianus, it has been elevated to species status (Musser & Carleton 2005; Olayemi et al. Giant pouched rats are easily tamed as companion animals. It is solitary. Eumetazoa: pictures (20647) Eumetazoa: specimens (7100) Nowak, R. M. 1999. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. Gambian pouched rats are very large, long-lived rodents that hail from Africa. Animalia: information (1) Animalia: pictures (20673) Animalia: specimens (7109) Animalia: sounds (722) Animalia: maps (42) Eumetazoa metazoans. Cricetomys ansorgei (Southern Giant Pouched Rat) is a species of rodents in the family Nesomyidae. 106,222 landmines and UXO destroyed . The 26-year-old woman – who has been arrested for child neglect – returned t… It … These rats can become an infestation in areas where a lot of rubbish is thrown like landfills, settlements and near water sources. Too light to set off the mine but willing to sniff for food rewards, the rats are harnessed to a line and systematically search the ground for mines, having been trained to sniff out explosives. The rodents, officially known as the Gambian pouched rat, are the largest known breed of rats in the world. [7] They include: The southern giant pouched rat is widely distributed in mainly tropical regions of southern Africa, notably Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.[7][8]. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1344–1346, 1495–1496. each baby comes with all its Vet papers, r text (xxx) xxx-xxx2 for them along with food. African giant pouched rats can detect small amounts of TNT buried 8 inches (20 centimeters) deep, as well as from a distance of about 3.2 feet (1 meter). These Giant African Pouched Rats are trained to sniff out landmines and are far less expensive to keep. Cricetomys ansorgei (Southern Giant Pouched Rat) is a species of rodents in the family Nesomyidae. Southern giant pouched rats (Cricetomys spp.) The southern giant pouched rats, which are larger than regular rats, use their excellent sense of smell to sniff out landmines. [3][4][5][6] It is distributed in the savannah of East and Southern Africa. They have dark brown to reddish fur on their backs and a pale belly. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. Topic. This is the first of a 2 part article about keeping pouched rats in the United States, in part one we will look to list the rules per state and in part 2 we will explore some of the terms and rules across the entire country.. He's a lab rat—an African giant pouched rat ( Cricetomys gambianus ), to be exact. The name "pouched rat" refers to their large cheek pouches. Magawa – a giant African pouched rat – has unearthed 39 mines and 29 pieces of live ordnance since he was trained to “sniff out” the weapons. Gambian rats are not particularly good pets; in fact, an escaped group formed an aggressive and invasive colony in Grassy Key, Florida, and since 2003, their sale has been banned in the United States because of … Cricetomys ansorgei southern giant pouched rat. Native to central and southern Africa, the Gambian giant pouch rat was imported to the United States as an exotic pet for years until 2003, when the federal government banned them after an … These large rodents are widely distributed in tropical regions of southern Africa, and the trained ones are from Tanzania. Animal Life Expectancy. Discover How Long Northern Giant Pouched Rat Lives. GIANT rats have eaten a three-month old baby girl alive after her mother left her home alone to go partying. 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. This giant pouched rat has undergone training over the last two years in detecting the odour of TNT. Gambian Giant Pouched Rat. It is distributed in the savannah of East and Southern Africa. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2B:550–554.