For years, the Indigenous people on Vangunu, one of the Solomon Islands, had insisted a critically endangered giant rat that could chew through coconuts still lived among the trees of the forest, though its numbers had dwindled as loggers destroyed its habitat. But it turned out the people of the village of Zaira were right. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Solomon Islands National University, with help from the local community, recently captured photos of the Vangunu giant rat, or Uromys vika. It is one of the world’s rarest rodents and Vangunu is the only island it is known to inhabit. The rat, called Vika by the people of Vangunu, is at least twice the size of a common rat, at about 18 inches, half of which accounts for the tail, researchers said.

---

Organizations: University of Melbourne, Solomon Islands National University Locations: Solomon, Zaira, Vangunu