---
title: "Northern Giant Pouched Rat"
description: "Cricetomys gambianus — Mamíferos. The Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), also commonly known as the African giant pouched rat, is a species of nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys, in the family Nesomyidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/northern-giant-pouched-rat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Northern Giant Pouched Rat

> Cricetomys gambianus — Mamíferos. The Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), also commonly known as the African giant pouched rat, is a species of nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys, in the family Nesomyidae.

- Scientific name: *Cricetomys gambianus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mamíferos)
- Habitats: `savanna` (Savana)
- iNaturalist observations: 186
- Wikidata: [Q1770542](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1770542)
- iNaturalist taxon: [44512](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/44512)

## Names

- en: Northern Giant Pouched Rat
- de: Gambia-Riesenhamsterratte
- es: Rata Gigante con Abazones Sub-Saheliana
- fr: Cricétome des Savanes
- nl: Gambiahamsterrat
- pl: Wielkoszczur gambijski

## Countries with the most observations

BJ (41), NG (22), SN (18), GM (15), CF (4), GH (4), GN (4), CI (3)

## Summary

The Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), also commonly known as the African giant pouched rat, is a species of nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys, in the family Nesomyidae. It is among the largest muroids in the world, growing to about 0.9 m (3 ft) long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal to Kenya and from Angola to Mozambique (although it is absent from much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Emin's pouched rat is present) from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). There are also some…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambian_pouched_rat

## Photo

![Northern Giant Pouched Rat](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/northern-giant-pouched-rat/medium.jpg)

Photo: Francesco Cecere · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38069802

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/northern-giant-pouched-rat?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).