The Flores Giant Rat (Papagomys armandvillei) occurs on the island of Flores in Indonesia. Head and body length is 41–45 cm and tail length is 33–70 cm, making the Flores giant rat at least twice the size of an average Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) with a 25 cm long body and 15 cm long tail. It is the only species in the genus Papagomys. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary glands... Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Families see text Muroidea is a large superfamily of rodents. ... Subfamilies See text Muridae is the largest family of mammals. ... Genera see text The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Map of Flores Island Flores (Portuguese for flowers) is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, an island arc with an estimated area of 14,300 km² extending east from the Java island of Indonesia. ... Binomial name Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) The Brown Rat or Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is one of the most well-known and common rats, and also one of the largest. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a grouping in the classification of living organisms having one or more related and morphologically similar species. ...

Musser (1981) describes the rats as having small, round ears, a chunky body and a small tail, and that the giant rat of Flores appears to be adapted for life on the ground and refuge in burrows. The rat has dense dark hair (pelage). Analysis of the teeth of the Flores Giant Rat suggests that the rat has a diet of leaves, buds, fruit, and certain kinds of insect as inferred by large hypsodont teeth. Molar 47 (left), molar 46 and premolar 45(right) Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. ...

P. armandvilleis is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. A related species, P. theodorverhoeveni, is known from subfossil remains from 3,000 - 4,000 years ago. This species is presumed to be extinct, but may still exist on the island. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...

Sources and further reading

• Musser, G.G. The Giant Rat of Flores and its Relatives East of Borneo and Bali. 1981. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 169:67-176.