It occurs in two forms that look almost identical from the outside but are genetically distinct, so alike that only chromosome number, DNA or sperm shape can tell them apart reliably where both occur together. It is one of the commonest rats of the savannah of southern and eastern Africa, occupying everything from dense scrub to open miombo forest. It is a regular food source for many of the region's small carnivores and nocturnal raptors.
Medium-sized rodent with reddish-brown fur on the back, paler on the belly, and a long, sparsely haired tail, longer than the body. It can be told from its sister species, the Tete Rock Rat (Aethomys ineptus), which is almost identical in appearance, only with certainty by genetic analysis or chromosome count. In the field, the known distribution is the best rough guide.
Small five-toed track, about 2 cm long. Digs burrows at the base of bushes, among rocks or in abandoned termite mounds, with mounds of loose earth at the entrance. Droppings are elongated, 5-8 mm long, and accumulate near the burrows or along foraging trails through dense vegetation.
Wooded savannah, scrub with good grass cover and open miombo or mopane forest, from sea level to mid altitudes, in a scattered mosaic from Kenya to northern South Africa.
Omnivorous: seeds, fruit, insects and other small invertebrates.
Nocturnal and not very gregarious, it depends on good plant cover to shelter from predators. Overgrazing and poorly managed fires can reduce its populations locally.
The species maintains a large, stable population over most of its range, with no evidence of widespread decline.
Local loss of plant cover through overgrazing and frequent fires, and indirect persecution as an occasional agricultural pest.
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