Description Platacanthomys lasiurus
Date 1864
Source Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1864 (http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedingsofgen65zool#page/n461/mode/1up)
Author J Erxleben
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PlatacanthomysLasiurusErxleben.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