矢鼠屬

矢鼠屬（學名：）是哺乳綱囓齒目鼠科鼠亞科的一屬，旗下只有長尾矢鼠一個物種。這個屬只生活於非洲大陸，分佈於貝寧、喀麥隆、中非共和國、剛果共和國、剛果民主共和國、赤道畿內亞、加蓬、尼日利亞、多哥和烏干達。牠們的自然棲息地是亞熱帶或熱帶潮濕低地森林。

同科的動物尚有大巽他鼠屬（巴氏大巽他鼠）、西里伯斯鼠屬、狹鼠屬（神女狹鼠）、狹顱鼠屬（灰尾狹顱鼠）等之數種哺乳動物。

Description
The target rat is so named because it has a number of long bristles projecting from its rump which resemble the shafts of arrows in a target. The synonym Mus sebastianus also refers to this, Saint Sebastian being an early Christian martyr said to have been tied to a tree and shot with arrows. The fur is dark reddish-brown and the tail very long.

分佈及習性
矢鼠屬原生於中非西部的潮濕熱帶雨林，分佈範圍從多哥到貝寧及尼日利亞，然後到剛果盆地，再往東到烏干達西部。
It occurs in swampy areas of forests and in gallery forests and beside streams. It has also been observed in secondary forests around villages and in banana plantations.

Ecology
The target rat is largely nocturnal and feeds on the ground on green vegetable material and fallen fruit, supplementing these with some insects. Little is known of the social organisation of this species but in Cameroon a group of thirteen was caught at one location in an oil palm plantation. This rat seems to breed at any time of year.

Status
The target rat has a wide range and is a common species. It is presumed to have a large population and no particular threats have been identified. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

參考文獻

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Mammals of Benin
Mammals of Cameroon
Mammals of Equatorial Guinea
Mammals of Gabon
Mammals of Nigeria
Mammals of the Central African Republic
Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mammals of the Republic of the Congo
Mammals of Togo
Mammals of Uganda
Old World rats and mice
Rodents of Africa
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