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The first in history photo of the giant rat from Vangunu. The species is critically endangered.
A camera trap on Vangunu Island has captured, for the first time in history, a photo of the giant rat Uromys vika. However, scientists are concerned that this might be one of the first and possibly last photos, as the species is nearly extinct due to human activities.
The Vangunu giant rat (Uromys vika) is a massive arboreal rodent species from the Muridae family. This rat was discovered on an island that is part of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, situated between New Georgia and Nggatokae. Local inhabitants simply refer to the animal as “vika.” It was only discovered in 2015 after many years of searching and described in 2017.
Search for the giant rat from Vangunu
Until now, knowledge about the rat was mainly based on local stories. There were approximations of how the creature might look, but no actual photographs existed. People spoke of giant rats climbing trees and cracking coconuts with their teeth. Some even claimed they reached lengths of up to 5 meters (which turned out to be untrue). Scientists had never studied these animals before, so it was uncertain if these stories were true or if the rats even existed.
