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Maxomys
Maxomys is a genus of rodents, widespread in Southeast Asia. They are mid-sized rodents, similar to rats, that live on the ground of tropical rainforests. There they build nests, padded with fallen leaves from trees. They feed on roots, fallen fruit, and other plants, as well as insects. All species are shy and avoid food from humans.
The genus Maxomys was originally considered a subgenus of Rattus, the rat genus. When it became established as its own genus in the 1960s, Maxomys was often combined with the genera Niviventer and Leopoldamys. In the currently accepted taxonomy, Musser, Marshall, and Boeadi established Maxomys in 1979.
18 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 18 known species
Red Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys surifer
Whitehead's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys whiteheadi
Rajah Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys rajah
Hellwald's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys hellwaldii
Sumatran Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys hylomyoides
Mountain Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys alticola
Mo's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys moi
Small Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys baeodon
Malayan Mountain Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys inas
Chestnut-bellied Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys ochraceiventer
Tajuddin's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys tajuddinii
Musschenbroek's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys musschenbroekii
Bartels's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys bartelsii
Palawan Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys panglima
Pagai Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys pagensis
Fat-nosed Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys inflatus
Watts's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys wattsi
Dollman's Spiny Rat
speciesMaxomys dollmani
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Maxomys in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 45331.