Lesser Bamboo Rat Cannomys badius

The Lesser Bamboo Rat, the only species in its genus, is the smallest of the Asian bamboo rats reaching some 20-25 cm long excluding (6cm) tail. The Large or Sumatran Bamboo Rat is double that. The Asian group are not closely related to the South American bamboo rats.

The Lesser Bamboo Rat is native to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and a tiny border part of India and of China. Like mole-rats, it digs deep burrows with its front teeth. It is persecuted as a pest in agricultural plantations.