Wildlifeof Nepal
Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat
Rats, Mice, Voles & Porcupines
Photo: William Thomas Blanford · Public domain
Nesokia indica
Basic stats
Diet
Grasses, grains, roots and cultivated fruit and vegetables
Habitat
River valleys, lake sides, irrigated land and oases; damp places
Range
Xinjiang to Egypt and Uzbekistan to Bangladesh
Litter size
3–5 pups; three generations a year
Gestation period
Believed about 17 days
Size
Length 165–218mm
Weight
182–388g
The broad feet and the tail are scantily haired. It is 165–218 mm long and weighs 182–388 g. It lives in river valleys, by lake sides, in irrigated land and in oases from Xinjiang to Egypt and south to Bangladesh (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is nocturnal and spends most of its time in a burrow of many tunnels and chambers, up to about 60 cm deep and 9 m long, with one chamber lined with vegetation for a nest. It prefers damp places and does considerable damage to crops by its burrowing. It feeds on grasses, grains, roots and cultivated fruit and vegetables. Breeding starts in March and may continue all year in warm-winter regions, with three generations a year and three to five pups per litter (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat eat?
- Grasses, grains, roots and cultivated fruit and vegetables
- What habitat does the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat live in?
- River valleys, lake sides, irrigated land and oases; damp places
- Where is the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat found?
- Xinjiang to Egypt and Uzbekistan to Bangladesh
- What is the litter size of the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat?
- 3–5 pups; three generations a year
- How long is the gestation period of the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat?
- Believed about 17 days
- How big is the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat?
- Length 165–218mm
- How much does the Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat weigh?
- 182–388g