African cane rat

Japanese: アフリカアシネズミ（英語表記）cane rat

Also known as the African bamboo mouse and the reed mouse. Although it has the name "mouse," it is not a rodent but a mammal of the family Deafymouth, presumably related to the nutria of the suborder Hystridae (illustration). Widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Body length 40-61 cm, tail length 20-25 cm, weight 5-7 kg, sometimes reaching 9 kg. The body is hairy, the upper surface of the body is dark brown to yellowish brown, the underside is gray to white, the tip of the snout is flat, the ears are short, and both the front and hind legs have three large digits and three pairs of papillae located on the sides of the body.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

別名アフリカタケネズミ，ヨシネズミ。ネズミの名があるがネズミ亜目ではなく，ヤマアラシ亜目のヌートリアに近縁と推定される齧歯目（げつしもく）アシネズミ科の哺乳類（イラスト）。サハラ以南のアフリカに広く分布。体長40～61cm，尾長20～25cm，体重5～7kg，ときに9kgに達する。体毛は剛毛状，体上面は暗褐～黄褐色，下面は灰～白色，吻（ふん）端が平らで耳介が短く，前･後脚とも大きな指は3本，乳頭は3対で体側に位置する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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