It is hard to guess what a Southern African vlei rat weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Southern African vlei rat (Otomys irroratus) on average weights 114 grams (0.25 lbs).
The Southern African vlei rat is from the family Muridae (genus: Otomys). It is usually born with about 13 grams (0.03 lbs). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 16.3 cm (0′ 7″). On average, Southern African vlei rats can have babies 3 times per year with a litter size of 1.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The Southern African vlei rat (Otomys irroratus) is a species of rodent in the vlei rat genus, Otomys, of the family Muridae in the order Rodentia. This is the type species of the genus. It is native to the grasslands and swamps of southern Africa where it is a common species.
Animals of the same family as a Southern African vlei rat
We found other animals of the Muridae family:
- Stella wood mouse with a weight of 19 grams
- Mount Apo forest mouse with a weight of 34 grams
- Greater stick-nest rat with a weight of 329 grams
- Haggard’s leaf-eared mouse with a weight of 42 grams
- Molaccan prehensile-tailed rat with a weight of 148 grams
- Heath mouse with a weight of 72 grams
- Splendid climbing mouse with a weight of 89 grams
- Handleyomys chapmani with a weight of 49 grams
- Gray spiny mouse with a size of 8.5 cm (0′ 4″)
- Target rat with a weight of 70 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Southern African vlei rat
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Otomys irroratus:
- Rough-haired golden mole bringing 112 grams to the scale
- Brants’s whistling rat bringing 129 grams to the scale
- Island tube-nosed fruit bat bringing 107 grams to the scale
- Cape gerbil bringing 92 grams to the scale
- Rio de Janeiro arboreal rat bringing 93 grams to the scale
- Vinogradov’s jird bringing 117 grams to the scale
- Betsileo short-tailed rat bringing 93 grams to the scale
- Dobson’s epauletted fruit bat bringing 122 grams to the scale
- Hispid cotton rat bringing 111 grams to the scale
- Creek groove-toothed swamp rat bringing 121 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Southern African vlei rat
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Southern African vlei rat:
- Biak naked-backed fruit bat with a size of 16.4 cm (0′ 7″)
- Alston’s mouse opossum with a size of 19.2 cm (0′ 8″)
- Gray tree rat with a size of 19.2 cm (0′ 8″)
- Red-bellied mosaic-tailed rat with a size of 14.3 cm (0′ 6″)
- Rough-haired golden mole with a size of 15 cm (0′ 6″)
- Echigo mole with a size of 16.9 cm (0′ 7″)
- Yellow-faced pocket gopher with a size of 19.2 cm (0′ 8″)
- Low’s squirrel with a size of 13.7 cm (0′ 6″)
- Large-eared pika with a size of 17.8 cm (0′ 8″)
- Halmahera naked-backed fruit bat with a size of 17.8 cm (0′ 8″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Southern African vlei rat
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Southern African vlei rat: