Size: Head & body length; 30-35cm, tail length; 21-24cm Weight; 1.1-1.3 kg

Habitat and Distribution: The jumping rat is found in a very limited area of less than 1000 km2 of coastal dry deciduous dry forest on the West coast of Madagascar, north of the Andranomena river and south of the Tsiribihiria river.

Age: 13 years

Groups and Breeding: This is a species that forms a strong pair bond. They live in pairs together with their offspring for 2-3 years (1 year in the case of males) in large burrows. The adults will remain monogamous for their entire life or until one gets killed/ predated. Gestation lasts 102 - 138 days after which period, a single offspring is born.

Diet: Forages for fallen fruit, seeds and the bark of saplings.

• This species builds large burrows that can be up to 5 metres across with up to 6 entrances. Each entrance is blocked up with a ‘plug’ of soil so that to enter or exit the burrow, a rat will have to dig through the plug every time. This protects the rats and their young from predators.
• A single pair can have a home territory of up to 4 ha. They mark the boundaries of this area with faeces and urine.
• Madagascar is home to wide range of animals that are found nowhere else on the planet. In fact 75% of all the animals there are unique to this area (these animals are known as endemic). The reason for this is that millions of years ago, Madagascar split from mainland Africa and as a result all the animals found there evolved separately. Naturally absent from Madagascar are dogs, rabbits, cats, monkeys, squirrels, pangolins, toads, monitor lizards; adders, vipers, cobras, pythons, hornbills, and woodpeckers.
• The jumping rat can jump a metre into the air, this is the equivalent of a human male jumping nearly 6 metres. However, despite this, these rats rarely jump unless startled or to avoid predators.