Description
English: This is the Malabar spiny dormouse (Platacanthomys lasiurus) photographed in Chalakudi reserve forest
Date 5 January 2009
Author Kalyanvarma https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Kalyanvarma
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_spiny_dormouse.jpg

The Malabar spiny dormouse (Platacanthomys lasiurus) is a species of muroid rodent endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is the only extant species in the genus Platacanthomys and although resembling a dormouse, it is not closely related. About the size of a brown rat, this arboreal species lives in tree holes in dense forest habitats in a small family group. They are distinguishable from other species in the area by their bushy tuft tip to the tail and the spiny fur on the back. Order: Rodentia, Family: Platacanthomyidae, Species: Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth, 1859