Petter’s big-footed mouse

Petter’s big-footed mouse is a Madagascan rodent in the genus Macrotarsomys. It is now found only in the Mikea Forest of southwestern Madagascar. The specific name, petteri, honors French zoologist Francis Petter for his contributions to the study of Malagasy rodents.

About Petter’s big-footed mouse in brief

Petter’s big-footed mouse is a Madagascan rodent in the genus Macrotarsomys. With a head and body length of 150 mm and body mass of 105 g, It is the largest species of its genus. The upperparts are brown, darkest in the middle of the back, and the underparts are white to yellowish. The animal has long whiskers, short forelimbs, and long hindfeet. It is now found only in the Mikea Forest of southwestern Madagascar, but subfossil records indicate that it used to be more widely distributed in southern Madagascar. Climatic changes and competition with introduced species may have led to the shift in its distribution. It has a well-developed tuft at its tail tip, consisting of whitish and occasional light brown hairs.

In the mandamina, the incisive incisor is housed in the lower root of the lower lower leg. The lower side becomes mottled at about 55 mm from the tip and then whitish at about 65 mm. The upper sides of the feet are covered with grayish white fur, which extends around the claws to form ungual tufts. On the hindfeet, the fifth digit is relatively short at 6 mm ; the hallux is 8 mm long, and the other digits 11 to 12 mm. The tail is 238 mm long and naked in part. At the base, it is dark brown both above and below, but slightly lighter below. The specific name, petteri, honors French zoologist Francis Petter for his contributions to the study of Malagasy rodents.

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