Elegant oryzomys, Elegant rice rat
Euryoryzomys nitidus, also known as the elegant oryzomys or elegant rice rat, is a rodent species in the family Cricetidae. Previously it was known as Oryzomys nitidus, but it is not closely related to Oryzomys as that genus is now constructed. Its range includes Bolivia, Brazil and Peru to the east of the Andes, in lowland tropical rainforest as well as forest in the eastern foothills of the mountains, at elevations from 50 to 2,000 m (200 to 6,600 ft).
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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starts withEuryoryzomys nitidus is a medium-sized rice rat with a head-and-body length of about 136 mm (5.4 in) and a similar length tail. The short dense fur on the head and back is tawny or tawny-brown, the sides of the head and flanks being tinged with ochre. The underparts are whitish-grey. The tail is a uniform colour apart from the underside near the tip which is mottled. The upper surfaces of both fore- and hind-feet are clad in white hair, and the nails are hidden by tufts of hair growing between them.
The main population of E. nitidus is in the Andean foothills of Peru, Bolivia and western Brazil and adjoining lowlands. However outlying individuals have been identified at scattered locations in south-central Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In the upper Amazon basin, this species shares its range with the closely related Euryoryzomys macconnelli. Its altitudinal range is between about 50 and 2,000 m (200 and 6,600 ft) and its typical habitat is tropical and sub-tropical rainforest. It also occurs in secondary forest and seems able to tolerate a considerable amount of habitat degradation. Other places where it has been recovered include primary and secondary dry deciduous forests, riverine gallery forests, savannah with palm trees, swamp forests and the environs of villages, among cropland, pasture and sporting venues. It is also present in the foothills of an isolated massif in Mato Grosso do Sul on the western border of the Pantanal. It is a terrestrial species.
E. nitidus is a common species with a wide distribution. It is present in a number of protected areas and no particular threats to the species have been identified. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
