PromotedSpecies introCountry intro
The Sumichrasts vesper rat (Nyctomys sumichrasti)
A completely random (but lucky) night encounter, just outside the gardens of the Casa Luna hotel near Arenal Volcano.
I'm pretty sure about the identification, quoting my field guide (The Wildlife of Costa Rica: a field guide; Fiona A. Reid et al.; 2010):
”24cm. Small, stocky. Short nose; large eyes; dark mask. Upperparts orange; belly white; tail long and hairy, with a pronounced tuft at tip”
and Wikipedia adds
"The eyes are relatively large, and surrounded by a narrow ring of black hair, while the whiskers are long and the ears small."
The long tail, albeit without the tip that would show the tuft at the tip, can be seen in this picture:
Sumichrast's vesper rat is a rodent of the family Cricetidae found from southern Mexico to Panama. It is named for François Sumichrast, the collector of the first specimen, and its closest relative is probably Hatt's vesper rat, a similar, but slightly smaller, species from the Yucatán Peninsula.
comments (1)