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Wordless Wednesday: African Giant Pouched Rats

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



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I'm convinced I study the most adorable rat species in the world, Cricetomys gambianus, the African Giant Pouched Rat or the Gambian Rat. They are perhaps more famously known as Hero Rats because of their humanitarian work in detecting explosive devices and tuberculosis in biological samples.

These are my rats, in the lab. They are the subjects in a larger study to examining their behavioral genetics. However, the first part of the study includes Assessing the natural history and basic behavioral biology of the African giant pouched rat, Cricetomys gambianus, in Africa. I'll be traveling to Tanzania this summer do just that. I'll be announcing more details of my travels and research soon. Stay tuned.

DNLee is a biologist and she studies animal behavior, mammalogy, and ecology . She uses social media, informal experiential science experiences, and draws from hip hop culture to share science with general audiences, particularly under-served groups.

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