Savile’s bandicoot rat

Savile's bandicoot rat (Bandicota savilei) is one of five Asiatic species of rodents closely associated with human populations. These rats are typically dark brown or brownish gray, weighing up to 350 grams, and measuring up to 40 cm in length, including their tails.1

Savile's bandicoot rat is found only in mainland Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal or active at twilight, constructing burrows for nesting and raising litters of 2 to 18 young. Their diet consists of grains, fruit, and invertebrates, and they are known to be destructive to cultivated crops. Unlike most bandicoot rats, which inhabit cultivated land or urban areas, one population of Savile's bandicoot rat has been observed living in the grass beneath a teak forest in Thailand.1