Giant rat discovered

PEOPLE living on the Solomon Islands had spoken of a big, tree-dwelling rat called vika that inhabited the rainforest, but the remarkable rodent managed to elude scientists – until now.

After searching for it for years with cameras mounted in trees and traps, scientists said they finally caught up with the rat on Vangunu Island, part of the Solomon Islands, spotting one as it emerged from a tree felled by loggers.

The vika weighs about four times more than an ordinary rat and measures about half-ametre long.