# Bamboo rat
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{{Short description|Tribe of rodents}}
{{for|the South American species also known as bamboo rats|Dactylomys|Kannabateomys}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2015}}
{{automatic taxobox
| name = Bamboo rats
| image = lesser_bamboo_rat.jpg
| image_caption = Lesser bamboo rat, ''[Cannomys badius](/source/Cannomys_badius)''
| fossil_range = Late [Miocene](/source/Miocene) - recent
| taxon = Rhizomyini
| authority = Winge, 1887
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = {{ubl|
Genus ''[Rhizomys](/source/Rhizomys)''|
''[Rhizomys sinensis](/source/Rhizomys_sinensis)''|
''[Rhizomys pruinosus](/source/Rhizomys_pruinosus)''|
''[Rhizomys sumatrensis](/source/Rhizomys_sumatrensis)''|
Genus ''[Cannomys](/source/Cannomys)''|
''[Cannomys badius](/source/Cannomys_badius)''}}
}}
The '''bamboo rats''' are four species of [rodent](/source/rodent)s of the subfamily [Rhizomyinae](/source/Rhizomyinae). They are the sole living representatives of the tribe '''Rhizomyini'''. These species are found in [South Asia](/source/South_Asia), [Southeast Asia](/source/Southeast_Asia) and [East Asia](/source/East_Asia).
The species are:
*The '''Chinese bamboo rat''', ''[Rhizomys sinensis](/source/Rhizomys_sinensis)'', found in central and southern [China](/source/China), northern [Burma](/source/Burma), and [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam);
*The '''hoary bamboo rat''', ''[R. pruinosus](/source/Rhizomys_pruinosus)'', found from [Assam](/source/Assam) in [India](/source/India) to southeastern China and the [Malay Peninsula](/source/Malay_Peninsula);
*The '''Sumatra,''' '''Indomalayan,''' or '''large bamboo rat''', [''R. sumatrensis''](/source/large_bamboo_rat), found in [Yunnan](/source/Yunnan) in China, [Indochina](/source/Indochina), the [Malay Peninsula](/source/Malay_Peninsula) and [Sumatra](/source/Sumatra).
*The '''lesser bamboo rat''', ''[Cannomys badius](/source/Cannomys_badius)'', found in [Nepal](/source/Nepal), [Assam](/source/Assam), northern [Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh), [Burma](/source/Burma), [Thailand](/source/Thailand), [Laos](/source/Laos), [Cambodia](/source/Cambodia) and northern [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam).
Bamboo rats vary in size, from the lesser bamboo rat, which is typically {{cvt|15 to 25|cm}} long (head and body: tail length is {{cvt|6–8|cm}}, and weighs from {{cvt|500 to 750|g}}, to the Sumatra bamboo rat, which can reach lengths of nearly {{cvt|50|cm}} with a {{cvt|20|cm}} tail, and weighs up to {{cvt|4|kg}}. However, they are all bulky, slow-moving rodents that live and forage in extensive burrow systems and rarely spend much time above ground. They feed on the underground parts of plants. They live at altitudes of {{cvt|1200 to 4000|m}} and, except for the lesser bamboo rat, feed principally on [bamboo](/source/bamboo) and live in dense bamboo thickets. Bamboo rats go through three stages when eating bamboo. The initial phase is the quick motion of the bamboo entering the rat’s mouth. The intermediate phase is the movement of the teeth chewing the bamboo and the final stage is the state of the rats’ teeth right after eating the bamboo.[{{cite journal |last1=Su |first1=Fei |last2=Chen |first2=Ke |last3=Lu |first3=Xing |last4=Zhang |first4=Ke |last5=Ding |first5=Xun |title=Research of bamboo rat tooth bionic bit structural design and cutting mechanism for CFRP drilling |journal=Composite Structures |date=April 15, 2024 |volume=334 |pages=17 |doi=10.1016/j.compstruct.2024.117950 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263822324000783 |access-date=March 21, 2025|url-access=subscription }}] The lesser bamboo rat is more variable in its habitat, living in grassy areas, forests, and sometimes gardens, and eats a wider variety of vegetation.
All bamboo rats are regarded as agricultural pests since they eat the roots of a range of crop plants such as [tapioca](/source/tapioca), [sugar cane](/source/sugar_cane), and [tea](/source/tea) bushes, but they are also recognised as valuable food animals.
The bamboo rats are the natural [host](/source/host_(biology))s for the disease-causing [mold](/source/Mold_(fungus)), ''[Talaromyces marneffei](/source/Talaromyces_marneffei)'', which is endemic in all species in Southeast Asia.[[http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/2/10-0718_article Common Reservoirs for ''Penicillium marneffei'' Infection in Humans and Rodents, China]][{{cite journal| pmid=8532047 | doi=10.1007/bf01103897 | volume=131 | issue=1 | title=Occurrence of ''Penicillium marneffei'' infections among wild bamboo rats in Thailand | year=1995 | journal=Mycopathologia | pages=1–8 | last1 = Ajello | first1 = L | last2 = Padhye | first2 = AA | last3 = Sukroongreung | first3 = S | last4 = Nilakul | first4 = CH | last5 = Tantimavanic | first5 = S| s2cid=20573325 }}] In this area, [talaromycosis](/source/talaromycosis) due to the mold is the third most common [opportunistic infection](/source/opportunistic_infection) in [HIV-positive individuals](/source/AIDS).
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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Category:Spalacidae
Category:Rodents by common name
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bamboo rat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_rat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_rat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.