Distribution, population dynamics and habitat use of the lesser pouched rat, Beamys hindei

The lesser pouched rat, Beamys hindei Thomas 1909, is one of Africa's rarest and least known rodents, recorded only from a few localities in Kenya and Tanzania. The results of this study show that B. hindei is more widely distributed than previously thought and occurs at high densities in suitable habitat. It breeds throughout the year, but maintains relatively constant population densities as recruitment rates are low. On account of its ability to cache food, it is well adapted to seasonally dry forests where food is in short supply for part of the year. The need for suitable soil in which to construct its burrows and dense vegetation cover may partly account for its patchy distribution. Morphological data collected during this study provide no evidence for separating B. hindei from B. major and suggest that the differences previously recorded between the two forms may be actually due to clinal variation in size from north to south.