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rice rat

American

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.

Etymology

Origin of rice rat

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The researchers placed the small-eared pygmy rice rat into a plastic chamber and piped in anesthetic gas until it rolled over, asleep.

From Reuters • Aug. 5, 2023

The pygmy rice rat in Tamaulipas was collected in grass.

From The Recent Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico by Alvarez, Ticul

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023