rice rat
noun
any rat of the genus Oryzomys, having an exceptionally long tail, especially O. palustris, inhabiting rice fields and marshes of the southern U.S., Mexico, and Central America.
Origin of rice rat
1First recorded in 1880–85
Words Nearby rice rat
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rice rat in a sentence
Studying the Galapagos Islands, Darwin saw only a few tortoises, iguanas, snakes, and one small mammal, the rice rat.
One Incredible Ocean Crossing May Have Made Human Evolution Possible | Nicholas R. Longrich | May 2, 2021 | Singularity HubThe Florida rice-rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is another well-known representative of the group.
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