Distribution, Ecology, and Behavior
Tachyoryctes rex is found on the western slope of Mount Kenya, Kenya, at 2,600 to 3,350 m (8,500 to 11,000 ft) in altitude. It is common in a limited area, at the upper edge of the bamboo forest and lower edge of the moorland. A female found on October 5 had a large embryo. T. rex builds large mounds with diameters up to 6 m (20 ft). Some have interpreted these mounds as being built by termites instead. From those mounds, burrows may extend up to 50 m (160 ft) and be up to 1 m (3 ft) deep. One chamber is used for urination and defecation and to store plant matter; it produces a substantial amount of heat. In other chambers, T. rex builds large nests of grass. The animal eats plant roots. Its presence results in a change in vegetation on the mounds, which have fewer grasses and more woody plants, either because the animal eats plant roots or because the soil is altered.
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