How many baby Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rats are in a litter?
A Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys lutillus) usually gives birth to around 2 babies.
Upon birth, they weight 834 grams (1.84 lbs) and measure 6 cm (0′ 3″). They are a member of the Muridae family (genus: Melomys). An adult Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rat grows up to a size of 10.4 cm (0′ 5″).
To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.
The Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys lutillus), also known as the grassland melomys, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is endemic to the island of New Guinea where it is present from sea level to altitudes of about 2,200 metres (7,200 ft). It inhabits grassland, gardens and other disturbed areas.The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of “least concern”. This is because it has a wide range, can tolerate disturbance to its habitat and no particular threats have been identified.
Other animals of the family Muridae
Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rat is a member of the Muridae, as are these animals:
- White-tipped tufted-tailed rat weighting only 100 grams
- Setzer’s pygmy mouse weighting only 6 grams
- Arizona woodrat weighting only 200 grams
- Aztec mouse with 3 babies per pregnancy
- Salt marsh harvest mouse with 3 babies per pregnancy
- Hylaeamys oniscus weighting only 49 grams
- Tamaulipan woodrat weighting only 198 grams
- Morgan’s gerbil mouse weighting only 16 grams
- Ecuadorian grass mouse weighting only 39 grams
- Aquatic rat weighting only 66 grams
Animals that share a litter size with Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rat
Those animals also give birth to 2 babies at once:
- Greater Egyptian jerboa
- Cougar
- Mediterranean pine vole
- Lesser yellow bat
- Panamint kangaroo rat
- Chiruromys lamia
- Saharan striped polecat
- Plantain squirrel
- Golden mouse
- Long-nosed bandicoot
Animals with the same size as a Papua grassland mosaic-tailed rat
Also reaching around 10.4 cm (0′ 5″) in size do these animals:
- Stephens’s kangaroo rat gets as big as 11.6 cm (0′ 5″)
- Short-snouted elephant shrew gets as big as 11.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Long-nosed dasyure gets as big as 12.1 cm (0′ 5″)
- California mouse gets as big as 11.6 cm (0′ 5″)
- Northern red-backed vole gets as big as 10.9 cm (0′ 5″)
- Shining thicket rat gets as big as 11.1 cm (0′ 5″)
- Cave nectar bat gets as big as 12.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Aztec mouse gets as big as 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Visagie’s golden mole gets as big as 10.6 cm (0′ 5″)
- Panama slender opossum gets as big as 11.1 cm (0′ 5″)