Mallomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae. The name of the genus is formed from the Greek μαλλός, mallos, wool, and μῦς, mus, mouse/rat. These very large rats weigh between 0.95kgand2kgkg (02.09lband04lbkg) and are native to highlands in New Guinea.[1] Little is known about their behavior, but they are believed to feed on leaves, grasses and other plant material.[1]
It contains the following species:
Conservation International (CI) and the Indonesia Institute of Science (LIPI) discovered two possibly undescribed mammals upon visit of the Foja Mountains in June 2007: a Cercartetus pygmy possum, one of the world's smallest marsupials, and a 1.4kg (03.1lb) Mallomys giant rat (five times the size of a Brown Rat) - found in Indonesia's Papua in 2005.[3]