At a Glance
Poncelet’s Giant Rat is a rare species, so rare that only a few specimens had ever been recorded by scientists for decades. The rat is arboreal and builds stick nests in trees in the forests of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and Choiseul in the Solomon Islands. Scientists believe that its partly naked tail helps it move through the forest canopy.
Poncelet’s Giant Rat (also called Poncelet’s Naked-tailed Rat) lives in tropical rainforest, including lowland and swamp forest habitats, but those forests are being cleared for logging. Large old-growth trees that the Poncelet’s Giant Rat prefers for nesting are also especially targeted by logging. The large rat is also hunted by local communities. Scientists believe the population has undergone a severe decline in recent decades due to habitat destruction and hunting.
At a glance
Taxa
Mammals
Geography
Papua New Guinea; Solomon Islands
Status
Critically Endangered
Habitat
Tropical rainforest
Estimated Population
Unknown
Threats
Habitat loss; hunting pressure
Potential Recovery Actions
Reduce habitat loss; reduce hunting pressure
