Echimyidae Author Don E. Wilson Author Thomas E. Lacher, Jr Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2016 2016-07-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I 552 604 book chapter 67690 10.5281/zenodo.6623649 5be7e52f-9b9c-4c03-99ed-f346bbcde1d0 978-84-941892-3-4 6623649 70. Greedy Olalla Rat Olallamys edax French: Rat-épineux de Mérida / German: GroRe Olalla-Ratte / Spanish: Rata olalla glotona Other common names: Venezuelan Soft-furred Spiny-rat Taxonomy. Thrinacodus edax Thomas, 1916 , “Sierra de Mérida. Alt. 2800 m,” Mérida, Venezuela. This species is monotypic. Distribution. NW Venezuela, known only from the C Cordillera de Mérida area. Descriptive notes. Head-body 225 mm, tail 345 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Greedy Olalla Rat has soft fur without spines or bristles. It is larger than the White-tailed Olalla Rat ( O. albicauda ), but like its congener, dorsal pelt is shaded reddish to brownish, belly is yellowish and contrasts only slightly with dorsum, and tail is ¢.153% of headbody length. Tail is sparsely furred and completely white along its ventral side, reddish brown basally and white distally, and partially white on its distal one-half. Measurements of craniodental variables are generally larger compared with the White-tailed Olalla Rat. Habitat. Limited to bamboo stands in midto high-elevation montane forests in the Cordillera de Mérida in north-western Venezuela at elevations of ¢.2800 m. Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Greedy Olalla Rat is probably folivorous, feeding primarily on bamboo. Breeding. There is no information available for this species. Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Greedy Olalla Rat is probably nocturnal. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but Greedy Olalla Rats have been recorded producing whistle-like vocalizations at night. Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Additional ecological studies of the Greedy Olalla Rat—a rare mountain endemic—are needed. Bibliography. Allen (1914a), Eisenberg (1989), Emmons (1990, 1997a, 2005), Patton et al. (2015), Thomas (1916b), Woods (1993), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).