The Malagasy Giant Jumping Rat is a rabbit-sized rodent native to a small region of western coastal Madagascar. It has no close
relative species.
The largest rodent in Madagascar, it can leap nearly a metre (some 3 feet) into the air. It is nocturnal and lives in burrows.
The Giant Jumping Rat is critically endangered in its small area by slash and burn agriculture and introduction of foreign predators
such as dogs and cats.