Upper toothrows of the extinct Timorese giant rat (L) - what the researchers at CSIRO call the biggest rat that ever lived - next to the entire skull of a common black rat (R), for comparison.
Credit: Ken Aplin/CSIRO
SYDNEY: The remains of ancient giant rats the size of dogs have been discovered in a remote East Timor cave by Australian archaeologists.
Ken Aplin of government science agency CSIRO said the rats, detailed in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History this week, grew up to six kilograms - nearly the size of an adult Jack Russell.
The remains of the super-rats, three times the size of the largest living species, were among 13 types of rodents discovered during years of research in East Timor.
Wiped out by agriculture
Aplin said the rats lived there until 1,000 to 2,000 years ago, and were likely wiped out by changes in agricultural practices and habitat clearance.
"Large-scale clearing of forest for agriculture probably caused the extinctions, and this may have only been possible following the introduction of metal tools," said Aplin.
He said it was "a difficult sell, protecting rats", but that the finds are a reminder of the importance of conserving rodents.
"Rodents make up 40% of mammalian diversity worldwide and are a key element of ecosystems, important for processes like soil maintenance and seed dispersal," he said.
East Timor likely contains living mysteries
The largest living rats weigh around two kilograms and live in rainforests in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
Aplin was optimistic that at least one undiscovered rat species might still be living in East Timor, much of which is mountainous and inaccessible.
"Although less than 15% of Timor’s original forest cover remains, parts of the island are still heavily forested, so who knows what might be out there?" he said.
non-hyperbole
The outlets here in the the good-old U. S. of A. happily touted the beasts as the LARGEST RATS EVER TO LIVE! Just how they can make the claim (implied, of course) that there were no larger rat species ever to live is symptomatic of the fuzzy-headed "science" reporting we endure here. I take your approach to be factual (as least well appears to be) and informative without Hype. Thanks!
bill turnbull