Summit rat: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the summit rat lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Rattus baluensis
Group	Mice, rats & other rodents
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	Asia
Class	Mammal
Order	Rodentia
Family	Muridae

Where does the summit rat live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the summit rat in 1 country or territory across Asia.

Malaysia

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the summit rat endangered?

The summit rat’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the summit rat?

The summit rat (Rattus baluensis) is a mammal in the order Rodentia and the family Muridae, genus Rattus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the summit rat

The summit rat (Rattus baluensis) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on Mount Kinabalu and Mount Tambuyukon, Malaysia, and has been recorded at altitudes of 2,040 to 2,477 m on Mt. Tambuyukon and 2,670 to 3,426 m on Mt. Kinabalu. They are most abundant in higher altitude dwarf forest and montane scrubland. The rat populations from these two peaks were connected in the Holocene. However, nowadays they are genetically isolated despite being 18 km apart. With current predictions of Global warming, the suitable habitat for Rattus baluensis is expected to shift around 500 m upwards. This will put the population in Mount Tambuyukon at risk. However, the population in Mount Kinabalu will likely survive in its upper slopes.

Genetic analysis situate its origin in a local population of Rattus tiomanicus from northern Borneo at around 300-400 thousand years ago.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Summit rat (revision 1315215032), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1769367 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).