270 Mammals of Eastern Asia 
males may measure nearly 12 inches in length, the tail 4 inches, 
the hind foot 2 inches ; females are smaller. There are several 
races. A near relative, R. pannosus, a species comprising two 
races from Siam and the Malay Peninsula, is dark grayish 
brown. Though many of the hairs are tipped with white, it 
is less hoary than R. pruinosus. The length of the head and 
body is 12 inches, tail 5 inches, hind foot 1% inches. 
Fig. 59. Hoary Bamboo Rat, Rhizomys pruinosus. 
The Red-cheeked and Yellow-cheeked Bamboo Rats, 
R. sumatrensis, usually placed in a distinct subgenus, Nycto- 
cleptes, are represented in the Malay Peninsula by the race R. s. 
cinereus, the Yellow-cheeked form, found from Tenasserim to 
southern Burma. The fur is harsh and short and the animal 
may be large — the head and body 15 to 17 inches, hind 
foot 2 to 2^4 inches. Farther north, in the Salween area, the 
slightly differentiated Red-cheeked form, R. erythrogenys, 
occurs. 
The Chestnut Bamboo Rat, Cannomys badius, is distin- 
guished from Rhizomys chiefly by the fact that the upper teeth 
project far forward. The animals are smaller. C. badius, found 
in Nepal, is divided into six geographical races. The color is 
usually chestnut-brown above, brightest on the head and dull- 
est on the rump, the underparts ashy gray. The teeth are reddish 
orange. The length of head and body varies from 7 to 10 inches, 
tail 2y 2 to 3 inches, hind foot 1% to 1% inches. There is con- 
