Description
The red rock rat is a rat-sized murine rodent. Adults have a head-body length of 12 to 17 centimetres (4.7 to 6.7 in), with a long, 13 to 20 centimetres (5.1 to 7.9 in), tail, and weigh from 40 to 114 grams (1.4 to 4.0 oz). Males are not significantly larger than females. The fur on the upper body and flanks is mostly reddish-brown, but mixed with dark brown or black hairs, producing an overall colour that varies from orange-yellow or cinnamon to medium brown. The underparts are white or very pale grey, with a clear dividing line from the fur elsewhere on the body. The head is robust, with a heavy snout. Females have three pairs of teats.
Although red rock rats can be distinguished from most other species of the genus Aethomys by their size or bodily proportions, they appear essentially identical to Tete veld rats, and can only be reliably distinguished from them by genetic analysis or examination of the shape of their spermatozoa.
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