Rat that doesn’t gnaw discovered
Rodent with pointy snout lacks molars and feeds by sucking in earthworms
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A unique species of near- toothless rat that lives off earthworms and doesn’t chew or gnaw has been seen in Indonesia.
The shrew- like animal with a long, pointed snout was described online in this week’s British journal Biology Letters. Paucidentomys vermidax, which translates loosely to “few- toothed rat” and “worm eater,” is the only rodent out of more than 2,200 known species that does not have molars and instead has bicuspid upper incisors, it said.
Two rats were found in the mountainous rainforest of southern Sulawesi Island last year. Since it lacks cheek teeth, the rat sucks in earthworms and slices them with its incisors before spitting out the pieces and then slurping bites down whole, co- author Anang Achmadi from Indonesia’s Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense said Thursday.
The researchers said the discovery shows how rodents, which are known for biting and chewing, were forced to evolve to survive. “What defines rodents is their capacity to gnaw with their ever- growing incisors, which are worn down to form chisels,” said co- author Kevin Rowe. “It’s a remarkable evolution that a trait that’s been so successful [ and] has allowed rodents to chew into everything … this species has given up on that capacity.”