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Giant Pouched Rat of
Gambia |
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Wildlife |
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 If
you see a creature about as big as a cat with a naked tail as long as
its body evokes Splinter of Ninja Turtle fame, don’t be alarmed. The
African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) is huge
but friendly. Weighing two to six pounds and ranging from ten to
seventeen inches long, these guys aren’t official rats, but large
rodents whose name derives from their looks and their cheek pouches,
used for carrying food. They are harmless to humans, if not a bit
startling at first sight. They feed on various plants, small insects,
and other invertebrates. They have been witnessed also eating scraps left for the Friendship Hotel
cats...right along side of their feline friends. (If you can’t eat
them, join them).
The rats are to be found roaming throughout the African
continent and reach sexual maturity within 5 to 7 months and can
have up to 4 litters every 9 months with 6 offspring per litter.
They way approximately 1 kg. Their natural home is thick forest
and sometimes termite mounds however, with increasing
urbanisation they have found richer pickings around human refuse
tips and family compounds. It is omnivorous with its natural
preferred food being palm fruits & kernels as well as a diet of
insects, vegetation and snails.
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