Tumbala climbing rat

Description

The total length of a young,but adult specimen of Tylomys tumbalensis is 448 millimeters,the tail length 234 millimeters and the rear foot length 46 millimeters.The fur on the top is dark gray and becomes blackish towards the middle.The sides of the body are brownish and the underside is lead-colored and yellow-brown-washed.The chin,chest and part of the inguinal region are white and the toes are dark brown.The front half of the tail is blackish,the back is yellow.The skull of Tylomys tumbalensis is tall,long and flattened.Unlike the Peters's climbing rat the upper measures molar number more than 9.1 millimeters.The tympanic membranes,unlike those of Tylomys bullaris,are not noticeably bloated and have a prominent anterior bulge.According to Merriam (1901),the skull is less massive and slimmer than that of the Naked Tailed Climbing Rat.The snout and the nasal bones are much slimmer,the tympanic blisters are slightly larger,the upper incisorsare thinner and narrower and the molar rows are with a length of 9.5 millimeters in comparison very large and heavy.