The African Maned Rat - an enigmatic rodent

Batto said:
A recent article exemplifying how little is still known about this peculiar poisonous rodent. I wonder whether establishing an ex situ breeding group might be worth a try?
https://phys.org/news/2020-11-secret-social-giant-poisonous-rats.html
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Well that was a pretty excellently written read about a fascinating species that I had barely heard anything about let alone that it was poisonous and monogamous so thanks for sharing that @Batto.

I think that it would make for a pretty excellent exhibit considering its long lifespan, probably fairly easy to manage husbandry needs, it potentially being of conservation concern and not forgetting it being poisonous.

That said, of course the question is how are you going to obtain a pair of these and what are the pathways and potential barriers if there are indeed any to doing so ?
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
it would make for a pretty excellent exhibit
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Given that it's nocturnal, lives a quiet life and sleeps a lot, it's not the best animal for your usual, "peek in and walk past" kind of zoo exhibit. But it could work as part of a small guided tour. Has anyone seen the specimen that used to be kept behind the scenes of Tierpark Berlin?

Unlike the slow loris, the species is not specifically mentioned in the federal Austrian zoo specifications. The closest thing are the regulations for African giant poached rats, which ask for a minimum enclosure size of 4qm and climbing options. Imho, that's far more sensible and doable than the 20qm for the vampire bats.
The leaf / high fibre diet might be more expensive, but also doable. And Acokanthera schimperi seeds could be obtained from SA, if one wants to showcase the tree as well.
I know at least one guy who can obtain pretty much anything from Africa. And given the LC status of maned rats, the red tape to import them to the EU would probably be less problematic than for obtaining slow loris (that are categorized as Cites 1 and at least partly organized in EAZA breeding programs). However, given that they are rarely caught, this would be a pricey undertaking. Anyone wanna sponsor me? ^^
 
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I wonder why some photos and almost every picture show colorful red stripes, but others show black-and white animals only. Different subspecies?
 
Jurek7 said:
I wonder why some photos and almost every picture show colorful red stripes, but others show black-and white animals only. Different subspecies?
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No, apparently a great variability of intraspecific coloration. But who knows - maybe they are indeed different, yet undescribed subspecies.
 
Jurek7 said:
I wonder why some photos and almost every picture show colorful red stripes, but others show black-and white animals only. Different subspecies?
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Those red hairs are always there, but are normally hidden below the longer black and white hairs, but can be shown when the rat deems that necessary.
 
Batto said:
However, given that they are rarely caught, this would be a pricey undertaking. Anyone wanna sponsor me? ^^
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Wouldn't be surprised if they are caught more regularly for bushmeat, mind you - I have a feeling this was the source for those Nandinia which have come into European collections.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Wouldn't be surprised if they are caught more regularly for bushmeat, mind you - I have a feeling this was the source for those Nandinia which have come into European collections.
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What do you mean? The Nandinia came from live bushmeat markets?
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Wouldn't be surprised if they are caught more regularly for bushmeat, mind you - I have a feeling this was the source for those Nandinia which have come into European collections.
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Bushmeat is very much a West and Central African practice and much rarer in East Africa, so very little chance of that.
 
Rayane said:
What do you mean? The Nandinia came from live bushmeat markets?
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Indirectly - I have the impression that at least some (the ones which went to Donnersberg and Bojnice in any case) came into the animal trade after being caught by locals who would otherwise supply the bushmeat markets. So they didn't come *from* the markets, rather they were diverted from the supply for the markets.

Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Wouldn't it be a rather risky bushmeat for people to consume considering the poison ?
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The toxin is in their fur, I believe, rather than their flesh.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
The toxin is in their fur, I believe, rather than their flesh.
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Good point, but with venomous birds like the pitohui and the red warbler though toxins are mainly in their feathers there are also trace amounts of it enough to render it inpalatable in the flesh. This is why indigenous civilizations and tribes avoided eating it in Mexico and Papua New Guinea respectively.

True, the fur / mane could be either removed with skinning or singed off the animal relatively quickly by simply roasting the maned rat carcass over a fire or whatever.

However, surely like with the birds mentioned above there would be traces of the alkaloids left in the flesh even after cooking and this would either be risky or just unpleasant for humans to ingest.

I'll see if I can find any literature on maned rats being eaten as bushmeat.
 
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Batto said:
And I say that I will need a new adequate venue before I can plan anything in this regard. ;) Eile mit Weile / Slowly, but surely, as one of my professors used to say...
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Yep, I know what you mean, but as you've mentioned I think the maned rat would be far easier to obtain than many other poisonous mammal species.
 
Couldn't find any literature on the maned rat being a commonly hunted / targeted species for the bushmeat trade.

Most references to rats being consumed and traded as bushmeat in Africa almost certainly refer to the pouched rat or the cane rat.

Somehow, I think the possible decline in population hinted at in the article may be more related to anthropogenic drivers such as habitat destruction / urbanization, habitat fragmentation, land use changes and roads.
 
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