Gambian Pouched Rat Cricetomys gambianus

The Gambian Pouched Rat, also called the African Giant Pouched Rat, is native not just to Gambia but to much of subSaharan Africa from west to east excluding the central Congo area. It is one of the largest of the rat and mouse family, has a white tail tip and gets its "pouched" name from its ability to hold a deceptively large amount of food in its expanding cheek pouches.

The Gambian Pouched Rat has an exceptional sense of smell and this, along with its intelligence and placid nature, has enabled it to be trained by humans to detect buried landmines and clear minefields. It has also been trained to detect tuberculosis (as is the related Southern Pouched Rat).