Gambian Pouched Rat
| Gambian Pouched Rat | |||
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| アフリカオニネズミ | |||
| Character Data | |||
| AKA | African Giant Pouched Rat
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| Romaji | Afurikaoninezumi
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| Debut | Kemono Friends 3 | ||
| Animal Data | |||
| Scientific Name | Cricetomys gambianus
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| Distribution | Africa
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| Diet | Omnivore
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| Avg. Lifespan | 7 years
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| Read More | Gambian pouched rat
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| Conservation | 
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| Gambian Pouched Rat | KF3 | Gallery |
Gambian Pouched Rat is a type of rodent Friend first introduced in Kemono Friends 3.
Appearance
Gambian Pouched Rat has a very combat-based appearance. She has a sandy brown, choppy bob cut with thick, parted bangs. The centermost bang has a dark brown tip, likely representing the real life animal's nose. A tiny ponytail tied with a black ribbon pokes out at the back. Her ears are large and oval-shaped with white tufts inside.
She wears a white t-shirt with a U-shaped neckline. She also has a dark brown, vest-like jacket that has a fluffy white collar and two breast pockets on each side. The fingerless gloves are the same shade of white as her shirt. Her cargo pants are a brown and white camo pattern and have black knee pads attached. Brown combat boots with white toe tips complete her outfit.
Series Appearances
| Media | Role | |
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In Real Life
The Gambian Pouched Rat (Cricetomys gambianus) is a large rodent in the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys. It is among the largest rodents in the world, growing to about 0.9 m (3 ft.) long (including the tail) and weighing between 1.0 and 1.4 kg (2.2 and 3.1 lb.). It's natural habitat is sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal to Kenya and from Angola to Mozambique.
These rats have very poor eyesight and so rely on their sense of smell and hearing. Not considered a "true rat", it is considered part of the African Muroid rodents. As is typical with rodents, they are very social and can live in groups (called "colonies") of up to 20 rats. The name "pouched rat" actually comes from the hamster-like pouches in its cheeks, which it uses to store food. Various vegetables, insects, crabs, and snails make up the omnivorous diet, however palm fruits and palm kernels seem to be a favorite.
Home burrows consist of a single long passage with many side alleys and chambers, one specifically for sleeping and the others for storage.
Gambian pouched rat reach sexual maturity at around 5–7 months of age. Up to four litters every nine months are born, with up to six offspring in each litter. Males are very territorial and tend to be aggressive when they encounter one another.
Circa the 1990's, a Tanzanian social enterprise called APOPO ("Anti-Personnel Landmines Removal Product Development" in English), began training southern giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) to detect land mines and tuberculosis with their highly developed sense of smell. These highly trained rats are referred to as HeroRATS. Rats are significantly cheaper to train than mine-detecting dogs (a rat requires about USD$7,300 for nine months of training, whereas a dog costs about USD$25,000 for training).
Trivia
- Gambian Pouched Rats are banned in the United States due to being blamed for the 2003 outbreak of Monkeypox.
- The animal's name in turkish is "Afrika Cırlak Sıçanı" which translates to "African Screeching Shitter"
- It is sometimes kept as a pet, but some have escaped from captivity and have since become an invasive species in Florida.
- In 2020, a Hero Rat named Magawa received a People's Dispensary for Sick Animals Gold Medal, the animal equivalent of the George Cross, for his work. Prior to his retirement in 2021, Magawa detected 71 landmines and 38 items of unexploded ordinance, clearing over 2,421,880 sq. ft. (225,000 m2) of land in Cambodia. Magawa passed away from natural causes at the age of 8 in 2022.
References
- Wikipedia Page
- Kingdon, J. (1997). The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. pp. 199–200. ISBN 0-12-408355-2.
- Olude, M.A.; Ogunbunmi, T.K.; Olopade, J.O.; Ihunwo, A.O. (2014). "The olfactory bulb structure of African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse 1840) I: Cytoarchitecture". Anatomical Science International. 89 (4): 224–231. doi:10.1007/s12565-014-0227-0. PMID 24469950. S2CID 25811366.
- "Keeping and caring for Gambian pouched rats as pets". The Spruce Pets. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- In Loving Memory of Magawa, the HeroRAT.