(ANN/THE JAPAN NEWS) – An endangered rat, which is also a natural monument of Japan, will be exhibited to the public at Inokashira Park Zoo in Musashino, Tokyo, starting March 18.
Amami togenezumi (Amami spiny rat), which belongs to the Muridae family of the Rodentia order, is about 9-16 centimetres long and has spiny hairs among its brown and black fur.
The rodent only inhabits Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. Predators such as mongooses and wildcats are believed to be responsible for a drop in the animal’s population.
Zoos in the country started to keep and breed the rats in 2017. Inokashira Park Zoo began housing the rats in 2020, although they were not shown to the public. The zoo developed techniques for caring for and overseeing the rats and, in 2023, achieved success in breeding them. The zoo announced it chose to exhibit one of the 10 Amami spiny rats in its care, allowing visitors to appreciate the animal’s unique appeal.
The zoo will feature a unique exhibition on Amami spiny rats from March 18 to June 29 to showcase the rat’s traits and its island habitat.
“I hope people will see how adorable they are when they hop while moving and learn that domestic zoos are working hard on their conservation,” an official in charge of the exhibition said
