Squirrel-toothed rat explained

The squirrel-toothed rat (Anisomys imitator), also known as the New Guinea giant rat, powerful-toothed rat, uneven-toothed rat, or narrow-toothed giant rat,^[1] is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Anisomys and is found in New Guinea.

The species has been known to eat karuka nuts (Pandanus julianettii),^[2] and growers will put platforms or other obstacles on the trunks of the trees to keep the pests out.^[3]

Names

It is known as gudi-ws or gudl-ws in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Book: Wrobel, Murray . Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals: In Latin, English, German, French and Italian . Elsevier . 2006 . 978-0-444-51877-4 .
2. Book: Stilltoe . Paul . Roots of the Earth: Crops in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea . 1983 . Manchester university Press . Manchester, UK . 978-0-7190-0874-0 . English . 9556314 . 82-62247.
3. Book: French . Bruce R. . Bruce French (agricultural scientist) . Growing food in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea . 1982 . AFTSEMU (Agricultural Field Trials, Surveys, Evaluation and Monitoring Unit) of the World Bank funded project in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea . 64–71 . 20 September 2018 . English . PDF.
4. Pawley, Andrew and Ralph Bulmer. 2011. A Dictionary of Kalam with Ethnographic Notes. Canberra. Pacific Linguistics.