habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
This species inhabits forest areas (dry forest and moist lowland forest); dry, moist and high altitude shrubland; woodlands; as well as anthropogenic habitats, such as arable land, pasture land and urban areas. It prefers thick vegetation, but is absent from Africaâs rainforest zone (Monadjem et al. 2015). In Swaziland, this species was found in a boulder-strewn thicket of a steep slope at Maguga Dam (Avenant & Kuyler 2002). They are often found in secondary growth areas with shrubs (Happold 2013).Woodland Thicket Rats are nocturnal and typically arboreal, yet may be terrestrial when trees and bushes are scarce. They are highly agile and have various adaptations for climbing, including a long digit on the hindfoot and a long tail for balance (Happold 2013). They build spherical nests from grasses and leaves with a single entrance up to about 4 m above the ground (Happold 2013). They also nest in axils of banana leaves and pineapple plants, and are occasionally found in abandoned barbet and weaver nests (Happold 2013). They are considered communal, and several individuals or family groups have been found within the same nest (Roberts 1951).
In Karkloof Forest (KwaZulu-Natal), a study revealed that 47% of the stomach contents from 11 individuals was made up of fruit, 46% of leaves and stems and 6% of invertebrates (Wirminghaus & Perrin 1992). From limited information pertaining to the reproductive ecology of this species, it appears that it has a prolonged breeding season, which peaks in the warm, wet summer months from October to February (Skinner & Chimimba 2005).
Ecosystem and cultural services: No specific ecosystem services have been identified for this species, but this may simply reflect the paucity of information available for this poorly-known species.
