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Rattus baluensis
Basic stats
Diet
Fruit, seeds, invertebrates, and nectar/insects from pitcher plants
Habitat
Montane forest, especially around giant pitcher plants
Range
Endemic to Mount Kinabalu and nearby Bornean mountains
Litter size
Poorly documented (typical for Rattus)
Gestation period
About 21–24 days (typical for Rattus)
Size
Medium (head-body ~15–19cm)
Weight
~80–150g
A montane rat restricted to Kinabalu and a few neighbouring mountains, notable for an unusual mutualism with giant Nepenthes pitcher plants: it feeds on nectar secreted around the pitcher rim and, in turn, defecates into the pitcher, providing the plant with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser it cannot otherwise obtain in nutrient-poor montane soil.
Nocturnal and terrestrial to semi-scansorial, climbing onto the rims of large pitcher plants to feed. One of the more genuinely distinctive small-mammal stories in Bornean natural history.
