The 'Giant White-tailed Rat' (''Uromys caudimaculatus'') is an
Australian
rodent native to
tropical rainforest of north
Queensland [1], with subspecies occurring in
New Guinea and the
Aru Islands.
[2] It is one of the largest rodents in Australia, reaching up to 1 kg in weight
[3], is grey-brown above, cream to white below, and has a long, naked tail of which the distal section is white (Moore 1995).
Breeding commences in September or October, peaking in December and January at the height of the wet season. After a
gestation of 36 days, a litter of two to three (rarely four) young are born, and remain with the mother for approximately three months (Moore 1995).
References
1. Harrison, J. L. (1962) Mammals of Innisfail I. Species and distribution. ''Australian Journal of Zoology'', '10', 45-83.
2. Laurence, W. F. and Grant, J. D. (1994) Photographic identification of ground-nest predators in Australian tropical rainforest. ''Wildlife Research'', '21', 241-248
3. Moore, L. A. (1995) Giant white-tailed rate, ''Uromys caudimaculatus''. In: ''Mammals of Australia''. (Ed, Strahan, R.) pp. 638-640. Reed Books, Chatswood, NSW.