National Museum of Natural Science

This medium-sized rat is endemic to Taiwan and weighs 78-100 grams. Its fur makes it able to adapt to low temperatures and is particularly fluffy, fine, and soft, without bristles. The dorsal pelage is ash brown and the ventral pelage is milky white with very clear boundary between the two. The tail is extremely long, white at the tip, with long white hairs. It is distributed in Taiwan’s mountainous areas at 2,000-3,000 meters above sea level. It is occasionally seen in campgrounds stealing food from campers but mainly feeds on rhizomes, seeds, and invertebrates. When threatened, it may bite off its tail. Therefore, many dead individuals have been found with incomplete tails.

Text/Chen Yan-Jun, Chen Mu-Xuan

Photo/Huang Xiao-Ting

Formosan white-bellied rat